New Beginnings
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: The night they attempted human transmutation changed everything. Edna just didn't expect to get an unexpected passenger out of the deal. Not only did Angel save Al, she also agreed to act as the 'unofficial' third Elric sibling, even if she is only attached to Edna and can't be seen by anyone else. Now they have to deal with magic on top of the mysterious force in the military.
1. Chapter 1

If there was one thing she absolutely _hated_ about her life, it was the fact she was born a girl. Don't get her wrong, there were a few things she didn't mind about being a girl, like the special times her mom and Granny spent with her that Alphonse generally didn't join in on.

But she despised the fact that very few of the adults around her really encouraged her passion, let alone approved of it like Granny or her mother did. Even her father, before he vanished off to who knew where and never returned, had been openly dismissive of her love and skill towards alchemy.

Unlike Winry however, who took great offense to the fact that the other children besides the Elric siblings considered her an unofficial boy, Edna opted to go a different route.

She embraced the idea, mostly because the adults rarely told the boys "no" when they wanted to do something adventureous. That and as much as she loved her mother, she wasn't _that_ interested in settling down and becoming "just" a housewife that had kids and didn't do anything interesting.

(Tricia Elric despaired a little that Edna cut her hair so short to match Alphonse, but took solace in the knowledge that her daughter didn't entirely hate dressing up to the point she would only wear trousers.)

By the time Tricia Elric had passed on from some unknown ailment, most of the village had entirely forgotten that she had a son and a daughter, rather than two boys.

It wouldn't be until the fateful night that the two siblings attempted to bring their mother back that her life changed forever.

Even if it did come with an unofficial big sister who didn't try very hard to keep them out of trouble, but could always be relied upon to have the best advice to get _out_ of whatever predicament they had landed in.

_In the Gate of Truth..._

Edna stared at the white 'double' of herself, and was prepared to sacrifice her dominant arm if it meant getting Alphonse's soul back.

Instead someone interrupted her.

"Question...would it be possible for someone else to pay the toll required to return Alphonse Elric back to the living?"

Edna turned...and found a young woman who felt _really_ familiar despite the fact she had never seen her before in her life.

She had brilliant red hair the color of spilled blood, and verdant green eyes that reminded her of the little garden her mother had kept before she got too sick. It spoke of growing things, and warm smiles and those eyes strangely made her relax because she knew the owner would never let them come to harm.

_The Laws of Equivalent Exchange must be upheld,_ said the being.

"That doesn't answer my question. Can someone else pay the toll in her place?" she repeated.

The being considered her.

_So long as the offering is equivalent to the child's soul and body, the Gate will accept it. However the price for his return will be steep._

Edna felt the stirrings of hope spring in her chest.

"What about eighteen years worth of memories, leaving the knowledge and power behind?"

The being considered the woman.

_You would offer your ability to return to your own world...in exchange for the child who foolishly attempted the forbidden?_

Her smile was tired, but there was a hint of protectiveness in her eyes.

"My world has nothing to offer. I would rather act as their guardian spirit here and move on to the afterlife where those who actually care are waiting than return to being _their_ puppet for a mess they created. I'm not foolish enough to believe that things will automatically get better when the main threat is dealt with...not when the people are too lazy or apathetic about their situation to get off their ass and actually _do_ something with their lives."

Edna sensed there was a story behind that.

There was a pause, and Edna felt as though the Gate was testing the young woman for something, before the being spoke again.

_The memories of your lost childhood and the connection that would allow you to return to your world are sufficient._

The Gates opened, and something passed through the woman. Then something flew out of it, which Edna quickly identified as Alphonse.

She woke up with a start, unaware of the changes her body would be going under in a few short days. And it wasn't the same ones that every child went through as they started their transition to adulthood.

(Edna was grateful someone or some_thing_ had dealt with the abomination that they thought was their mother. She never wanted Alphonse to see that _thing_.)

_A short while later, in the Rockbell house..._

In retrospect, the fact it took her three days to notice the new (or was it old?) addition to her mind was pretty impressive.

Once she realized the other woman she saw in the Gate was there, she mentally struck up a conversation. It wasn't like she would be mobile until her leg healed enough to accept the actual automail Winry and Granny Pinako were making for her. And Alphonse was being rather mopey at the moment because of his near brush with death and blaming himself for not doing more.

The first thing the other presence said to Edna soothed a few worries she had about that _thing_ in the basement.

"_It wasn't her. I don't know how you thought using _your_ blood would allow you to bring her back, but it wasn't your mother. At best it _might_ have been a clone of her, but it was doomed to fail the second you used your own blood,"_ said the older woman gently.

"_Why?"_ asked Edna.

She had to _know_.

The older woman thought for a moment how to phrase this, before she hit upon the perfect solution.

"_Have you ever wondered why you look slightly different from your brother, despite sharing the same parents?"_

Edna blinked. She had never really thought about it.

"_When a man and woman create a baby, it's sort of like baking a loaf of bread. However the 'recipe' for the child isn't always the same except in the case of twins or rarely triplets. So while you inherited more of your 'father', Alphonse inherited more from your 'mother'. Following me so far?"_

Edna mentally nodded slowly. That was easy enough to understand.

"_While both of you share half of your mother's genetic information, it is not the _complete_ recipe, just the bits and pieces that belonged to her. At best if that attempt_ had _succeeded all you would have created was a 'sister' that happened to have your mother's face but not her memories."_

Edna wanted to be upset...but the way the other woman phrased it explained a lot. And it eased some of the burden from her heart knowing that the _thing_ they created was never their mom in the first place. They hadn't made her suffer twice.

"_What do I call you?"_ asked Edna silently.

"_I gave up my _name_ as well as my personal memories from before I died in order to bring Alphonse back. My knowledge of my abilities and the herbal remedies I memorized are still there, but the details of what made me who I am are gone. Not that I'm complaining overly much,"_ she replied.

Edna wanted to feel guilty, but the older girl mentally waved her unease off.

"_I made the choice. Besides, I am much happier being reincarnated as you instead of being used like a shiny toy that gets thrown on the ground whenever I do something my 'owner' disapproves of, regardless of my personal preferences,"_ she said dismissively.

"_What was your name though?"_

"_Tell you what...why don't you come up with one and I'll use that?" _ she suggested.

Edna mulled over that for a moment, before the perfect name hit her. There was really only one thing she could think of that would fit the older woman.

"_Angel...because only a Guardian Angel would sacrifice their old life for someone they've never had actual contact with,"_ said Edna.

Edna felt the mental equivalent of a warm hug that felt so much like her mother's it almost made her cry.

She might not have her mother anymore...but she had the sneaking suspicion she just gained an awesome older sister who could at least act as a sounding board. Being the big sister and having to take care of both of them was _hard_, since she was still just a kid.

Mustang was slightly terrifying, but Angel assured her that it was out of honest concern. For all he hid behind a mask of false bravado, deep down he honestly cared.

It was the eyes, she claimed. It was almost impossible to hide someone's true intent from their eyes.

(Edna silently agreed once she bothered to actually _look_.)

She made no mention of the extra voice in her head, and silently asked Angel her opinion of the State Alchemist idea.

"_Under normal circumstances, I would disagree. However you would be bored if you were an ordinary alchemist and this method at least provides funding, training, and access to research otherwise restricted. Though you might want to ask what State Alchemists actually_ do_ before you jump into the idea."_

Edna already knew some of it...most people cursed State Alchemists for being the dogs of the military and for the notoriety they gained in Ishbal.

Mustang was openly surprised (and secretly pleased) she thought to ask first.

"Most people when they join the State Alchemist program are in it for the government funding, however they have to submit useable research or a practical demonstration once a year as an assessment of whether they are worth keeping employed. There are three exams to go through, the written, the psychological and the practical...though some just submit a thesis that has to be deemed viable instead. As for what we do, most of the more active ones go through basic which restricts them to the same military protocol as everyone else. There's also the researchers, though most don't bother becoming 'dogs of the military' because it means having to leave their labs, as well as investigators who go in and take a look at things that only an alchemist can properly understand."

"Investigative?" said Alphonse, perking up.

"Basically we send those people in to look up suspicious activity such as illegal research, odd 'miracles' that might be alchemy based, and sometimes to see if a new or old array might be useful for military use. I know for a fact that the Youswell mine gets a yearly assessment by a certified State Alchemist to check that the mines are still viable, considering it supplies most of our domestic coal," said Mustang. "Most people don't really know about that side of us because they generally only enter the program for the funding, the access to research, or for the notoriety."

Mustang had a sneaking suspicion he was about to get two full-time "investigative" State Alchemists, rather than the usual kind. It would make it easier for him to keep the two brothers together at any rate, and away from any war zones.

* * *

Granny gave them a look of disapproval, but had to concede the same line of thinking Angel had come to when the option of becoming State Alchemists came onto the table.

Edna would have been bored in any other job and with her skills and temper it would have been inevitable that she would be drawn to the military at some point. Whether by necessity or force, because there was no way she would give up alchemy. And where she went, Alphonse would always follow.

Did not mean they had to like it.

Which was why Pinako was pleasantly surprised when Edna started asking questions about basic first aid.

Considering how close she had come to bleeding out, and being stuck on bed rest anyway, it made a little sense that the girl would ask on how to keep herself alive if no other help was available. And Alphonse, being the kind child he was, joined in on those lessons.

It wouldn't help much if her new automail broke down, but at least they would have knowledge of field medicine when they really needed it.

(Edna's genius proved to extend to basic medical knowledge...she soaked up everything like a sponge, but had the hardest time remember the difference between a spanner and a socket wrench, to Winry's dismay.)

By the time Edna had healed enough that she was off bed-rest, the first thing she did was spar with Alphonse, to the open annoyance of Winry.

"I didn't make that automail for you to break it so quickly, Edna!" she chided.

Edna stuck out her tongue and continued to try and kick Alphonse's teeth in.

It wouldn't be until a week later Alphonse came to her with a rather panicked look in his eyes saying he had somehow caused a book to hit him in the head. And no, none of the others were in the room and the book in question happened to be out of his reach and he had been trying to get it for the past fifteen minutes.

Edna could _feel_ Angel's wince.

Then came the rather fantastical explanation of what happened.

When Angel intervened on Edna and Alphonse's behalf, Truth decided to be a "little shite" in her words and gave them both magic.

While there _was_ alchemy in a magical sense, it meant they would both have to be trained. Thankfully technology in this particular universe hadn't caught up to the standards she was used to, since it meant there was less chance of Edna or Alphonse causing it to short out. Then again alchemy was fairly common, so it was possible the materials in question was already insulated against it.

Case in point, Edna's automail was still functioning just fine even after a few tests revealed she had inherited magic from the odd passenger in her head as well, just more than Alphonse had.

Which made sense...after all, Edna was carrying their 'teacher' around in her soul, whereas Alphonse just got clipped with the magical gene due to her interference.

(Angel foresaw a lot of quiet amusement at Edna's expense...magic simply didn't follow logic and Edna was very scientifically oriented.)


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe I'm even saying this, considering the _lack of logic_, but thank _god_ for cooling charms!" said Edna irate.

Alphonse snickered.

Over the past six months, Edna and Alphonse had been secretly learning magic. Alphonse had been skeptical of his sister having another voice in her head, but had accepted that she wasn't going crazy after he got an explanation for the book.

Much like Edna, he was relieved that they hadn't inadvertently made their mother suffer more with the _thing_ they created.

Edna wanted to try for the State Alchemist program right away. There was, however, a small issue.

Namely that the exam wouldn't be for another six months (Alphonse had asked Mustang), and there was the small issue of their age.

No sane military would want to hire children unless there were special circumstances. Bradley was already disliked enough because of his warmongering habits, never mind the State Alchemist program.

Which meant they would have to wait a few years, _minimum_, before they could join the program.

Or they could bring something to the table that made them more attractive as applicants for "Investigative State Alchemists" as Mustang called them.

Edna was the one to find it, after using something Angel called a 'translation charm' on the books they could never make heads or tails of.

Alkahestry.

It was rather similar to Amestrian Alchemy, with one big difference that would look rather appealing to the military if they could pull it off.

Long-distance alchemy. Considering most circles required you be in close proximity to them in order to work, this seemed like their best bet to being admitted early.

Edna, being an alchemy nut through and through, was eager to find out if that claim was true.

There was just one teeny-tiny problem.

Alkahestry was only taught in Xing, which was across the Great Desert, and that was a major No-No for someone _just_ getting used to a new set of automail. Besides, Edna was still growing and would require adjustments eventually.

Which was why they spent the better part of a month and a half learning temperature control charms, water-producing charms, and location charms.

Edna didn't know whether she should bemoan her lack of a wand (why use an easily broken stick?) or be glad she didn't have one (because again, easily broken stick that was difficult to replace).

Still, they had made it into Xing more or less...and the only thing Edna wanted was a place to sleep that didn't have sand or rock on it.

Unfortunately they had very little luck finding anyone willing to teach two outsiders alkahestry, even the theory of how it worked.

A month after reaching Xing, they finally had a stroke of luck.

* * *

_Some time later..._

Edna was exhausted. In between learning alkahestry, being taught the _correct_ way to speak the local language (don't get her started on the writing), and learning new martial arts skills on the side, her schedule was more or less full.

On the plus side, they could practice their language skills and learn how to read the squiggles (as Edna called them) while babysitting the children for the adults who were busy in the fields. The adults were more than happy to let them, as it meant a few experienced hands were now free to help with the harvest.

However there was one thing that Edna was learning that Alphonse had zero interest in. Instead he would spend his free time speaking with the resident princess, which Edna found _adorable_.

(She found their budding crush and possible romance cute and was more than happy to encourage it.)

Edna was learning how to dance, mostly on a throw-away comment that their lessons in how to fight the way the locals did was rather similar to the few dances they had seen...which had caught Edna's interest.

Even she knew that sometimes her brain needed a chance to learn something for the fun of it, not because it was educational. And the look on their teacher's face when he saw her using those same dance moves to evade her opponent was openly hilarious.

Angel was right...dancing was not only fun, but the added grace to her steps made her much harder for Alphonse to openly beat in a fight because she was more agile. It felt nice to just let her mind wander once they were set to practice, and she always slept better after.

Even more amusing was the way they finally solved their "lack of wand" issue. Apparently the kunai they used for their attempts at alkahestry could also double as the needed focus...their ability to use and cast spells had shot up exponentially, and best of all they could easily replace one if they had to.

Without even realizing it, a year had passed with the Chang clan. It felt surprisingly like home, even if the language was different. Apparently having two pre-teens show up on your doorstep but more than willing to ask intelligent questions and _wanting_ to learn about your heritage without once being snide about it was an ice-breaker, in the words of Angel.

The fact Alphonse was naturally personable and Edna (despite her hot-headed nature) was very patient with small children and let them coax her into games most of the bigger kids would find beneath them eased the way.

(Even if the adults couldn't make heads or tails of how to use alchemy, they at least took solace in the fact that they had students who _wanted_ to properly learn something without getting distracted.)

Hard to believe that almost a full year had passed and that she would soon be twelve. Now if only she could get the hang of alkahestry, she would be happy. She knew it involved "flowing" energy, but the water analogy went right over her head.

It wasn't until Angel made a throw-away comment about how she would have had difficulty until she changed the water analogy and used 'sensing intent' as an example.

Edna liked her wind example far more than the water one they used. Wind flowed like water, but it wasn't as _restrictive_ as water since it didn't need clearly set paths to flow. It had nothing to do with the fond memories of flying Angel was more than happy to share whenever she sensed Edna was about to have a nightmare of that night.

And she was sticking with that story.

"I really wish we didn't have to leave soon," said Al.

"Al, even the kids have noticed I've been limping pretty bad. We have to meet up with Winry at Rush Valley to get an adjustment since there aren't any automail mechanics within a hundred miles," said Edna unhappily.

Edna was a growing girl, and unless she had an adjustment soon she was going to have a difficult limp. As much as she would love to stay and learn more about alkahestry, the simple fact was that the adults were starting to ask some rather awkward questions regarding her health... most of them had been quite alarmed when she finally caved and showed them her automail and explained that she lost her left leg in an 'accident' but was unwilling to go into any real detail.

She was still surprised that Winry had decided on her own to visit Rush Valley, which was said to be full of automail nuts. Edna didn't know what Granny did, but she somehow made an acquaintance of hers take Winry in before they left.

Alphonse looked at their small cabin (made from alchemy) dejectedly.

"I'm really going to miss this place...it was almost like home."

"I know," said Edna tiredly. "I actually like it here and the people remind me of Resembool even if we had a difficult time getting the hang of their language and we still have trouble with their writing."

Sure they could use alkahestry now (Alphonse in particular took to healing, though Edna learned the old fashioned route which sounded suspiciously like potions), but that didn't change the fact that the Chang clan felt a lot like home did.

Leaving was going to _suck_, even if the travel time back would be cut down since they finally had a focus to work with.

"**Do you have to go?"**whined May.

Edna bent down slightly to come to eye level with her.

"**You know how I've been limping badly for the past couple of months, but I'm not hurt?"**

She nodded.

"**Well I need to get my leg looked at by the one who made it. Think of the bad leg as clothes you've outgrown and need to replace, since they don't fit anymore,"** suggested Edna.

Seeing she got it, May still looked uphappy. She had taken to Edna as an older sister like all the other kids in the village, and had a huge crush on Alphonse.

"**Will you come back?"** she asked.

"**Not right away. See we have something we want to do back where we came from, but we were too young for the adults to allow it. Now that we're bigger we have a higher chance of being permitted to do grown-up work,"** explained Edna. **"Besides, it would be pretty silly to come back only to leave when the new leg became too short again, now wouldn't it?"**

May looked upset at that, but agreed that did sound silly. It wasn't like they had anyone who could fix Edna's leg.

Edna tried to think of a way to make the parting less painful...until she remembered what Angel said about owning an owl once.

While Angel didn't know the specific spells used to ingrain the locator magic into the owls, she _did_ know that any animal raised or spent a lot of time around magic tended to develop a higher degree of intelligence.

Perhaps if Edna found a bird's egg or a baby chick that had lost it's parents, she could find a way to replicate the messenger owls and sent May letters.

It was something to look into, and at least birds were generally low maintenance and could follow them easily enough compared to a cat or a dog. Never mind how much easier it would be for them to sneak the animal in.

(Alphonse, unsurprisingly, was all for the idea since they couldn't own a cat.)

Edna managed to hold back happy tears until they were both out of eyesight when she realized that the small clan considered them one of them, instead of friendly outsiders. Alphonse was equally misty eyed, though you couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces.

* * *

The two of them made the long, boring trip back through the desert...this time a lot less awful since they were able to cast magic properly (which Edna thanked heartily for because of her automail leg)...only to finally hit civilization in a tiny town that sounded familiar for some reason.

"Ugh...this is killing me! I know I've heard of Youswell somewhere before..." said Edna annoyed.

Angel was too busy snickering to be of much help.

Alphonse looked at the coal, before it hit him.

"Ed... didn't Mustang mention Investigative alchemists are often sent to do inspections...like the _yearly_ inspection of the Youswell mine that supplies most of the domestic coal?" said Alphonse.

Edna stared at him, then she face-palmed.

"That's where I heard of this place," said Edna. "Come on...let's find a place to crash and clean up. With any luck they'll have a train schedule."

(On an unrelated note: by the time they left Youswell, Angel was in absolute hysterics over how Edna tricked the idiotic Yoki into basically handing over the deed to the mine and town, which she then turned around and used to "pay" for their stay at the inn they ended up at until the trains left for Rush Valley. Edna was rather proud of her accomplishment. Mostly because Angel highly encouraged anything that had to do with _proper _prankster behavior, even if she couldn't remember why.)

* * *

Winry was thrilled to see them, and even happier when they built a better bridge to the house she was staying at. She eyed Edna's leg with a professional gaze, before forcing her fellow blond to sit down and let her take some measurements.

Edna could hobble around on a temporary until the new one was ready, since her old one was actually three inches too short, which surprised and delighted her since it meant she wasn't as short as before.

No wonder she had such a nasty limp and had to keep bending slightly to keep it level.

_Late one night..._

Edna had woken up and was in the mood for something sweet. Unfortunately there wasn't anything in the cabinets and she was too awake to fall asleep.

Irritably, she started looking at what they _did_ have, before Angel took notice of what was there.

Since Winry was staying at the guest house, they had free reign over the food and she had hit the store the day before they arrived.

"_You know she has all the ingredients to make a cake. Not sure about the icing though."_

"_I can work with cake,"_ said Edna, perking up. _"Do you have the recipe?"_

Angel grinned, and the two of them went to work sorting out ingredients and doing minor prep. By the time the cake was done, Edna was in the mood to go back to sleep after she ate the first slice. They had made a lemon cake with powdered sugar and some lemon shavings on the top.

Edna put the cake out of mind once her craving for sweet went away, but she never expected the enjoyment she'd get out of it's sudden appearance.

Specifically the fact Winry and Alphonse both looked baffled as to where it had come from, once they finally noticed it was there. And since Edna woke up after both of them, they dismissed her as the culprit.

"This is really good. Where do you think they bought it?" asked Al.

"No idea, all I know is that she was adamant she didn't bring a cake over this morning before breakfast," said Winry.

"Morning," said Edna yawning, though inwardly she and Angel were laughing.

"Morning Edna," said Winry. "Did you see who brought over the cake?"

"The cake fairy, maybe?" said Edna flippantly.

"Oh ha ha, Ed," said Winry rolling her eyes.

Edna, in a fit of mischief, made a point to create three extra cakes before leaving and a pie she knew Winry loved that Granny Pinako used to make for her.

She had to keep from snickering at the baffled expression every time Winry looked at the food, and the suspicious looks Alphonse kept giving her in the process.

It wasn't until they were on the train for the Eastern command that Alphonse spoke up about the matter.

"You're the so-called cake fairy, aren't you?"

"I was in the mood for something sweet and not tired enough to try going back to bed, so I decided to test my luck with her kitchen. By the time I finished it and had my snack, I was sleepy enough to go back to bed and forgot all about it until I saw Winry's reaction," admitted Edna.

Alphonse blinked, before he snickered. Winry did have quite a few amusing reactions to the so-called 'cake fairy' as Edna flippantly called it. He would even swear he saw her trying to leave out offerings of milk before bed one night.

(Edna _barely_ tolerated milk and absolutely hated needles with a passion. The only reason she didn't avoid the liquid entirely was because of all the recipes Angel said it was in, most of which were her favorites. That and Angel introduced her to the concept of _flavored_ milk, which didn't taste nearly as bland and awful.)


	3. Chapter 3

Edna was not amused.

The train they were on was being hijacked by idiots, and the other passengers were too spineless to do anything about it.

"Alright, what brainless morons decided that this was the perfect time to perform a damn hijacking?" snapped Edna.

This was _after_ she had turned the terrorist's gun into a trumpet, mind you.

"Only you, Ed, would take offense to the fact that a mere hijacking is interrupting your nap time."

"Hell yes I'm offended! Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass it is to deal with Winry's power-shopping?! I'm still tired and my arms are killing me!" snapped Edna.

Alphonse snickered.

Edna wasn't complaining _that_ much considering Winry at least got her some new outfits that were to her tastes. Including a few skirts and ribbons.

His sister hated it whenever people looked down on her for her gender, but that didn't mean she went so far as act completely like a boy.

Edna looked awake and ready to beat the living hell out of someone for interrupting her desperately needed nap.

"Ed, what are we going to do?"

"...I'll take the high road and you take the low road?" said Edna.

"Sometimes I really wonder how I'm related to you," said Alphonse tiredly, before nodding.

"Look at the bright side...all these morons have are cheap guns and not a lot of skill at using them!" chirped Edna.

Alphonse stuck his tongue out at her, before transmuting the door that lead to the back end of the train into a make-shift shield just in case.

If the terrorists wanted to play around with guns, then he would be more than happy to 'educate' them on the dangers of ricochet. That plus he added a few discreet charms to protect _himself_ from that issue.

_An hour later..._

"Attention moronic terrorists!" said Edna with far too much cheer. "This is your one and only warning...surrender now or face the rather painful consequences of waking me up just to promote your rather idiotic attempts to overthrow people who have _actual_ training!"

(At the other end of the carriage Alphonse face-palmed. Why did his sister have to show off her massive ego.)

"Screw you!" said the lead terrorist.

"Suit yourself!" said Edna with dark cheer...before she opened up the water pipe and sent most of the terrorists into the waiting 'hands' of Alphonse.

"Welcome," said Al, punching his right hand into his left...before knocking them out and using the guard rails to pin the terrorists in place until they arrived at the station.

Once that was done, he went in and found Edna playing with the leader of his mess. Between the two of them, it didn't take much to have him all tied up.

Then Edna noticed that the man in the car was bleeding.

"...Al, can you go and get my medical tape and some gauze? I doubt he'll get an infection but I don't want to risk it. Besides, it's upsetting his kids," said Edna.

"Sure thing," said Alphonse. It only took him a few minutes, before Edna carefully treated the man's ear.

"Thanks. Who are you two?"

"We're the Elrics. I'm Ed and this is my younger brother Alphonse. We're heading to the Eastern Command to try our luck at being State Alchemists."

"Aren't you two a little young?" asked the man's wife.

"Too young for basic, but no one has ever said anything about an age limit to the alchemy exam. Besides, we're planning to become Investigative Alchemists, which means we shouldn't be sent directly to the front lines," said Edna.

_At the station..._

"Congratulations you two. Because of your efforts to stop the terrorists, you're being given special permission to take the exam," said Mustang smugly.

Edna's face twitched rampantly.

"Are you telling me there actually_ is_ an age limit to the exam?" she said growling.

Mustang blinked.

"There's no age limit as far as I'm aware, but considering that State Alchemists often go into basic training there is an age limit to joining the military officially."

Specifically the fact that the military already had a bad rep and didn't want the idea that they wanted child soldiers fighting for them...it was bad enough State Alchemists got such a bad reputation for the mess in Ishbal. As such the _unofficial_ allowed limit without parental consent and a military sponsor for the alchemy exam was sixteen at the most, which happened to be the "age of consent" in Amestris.

Ed and Al were going to have to work their asses off and get a really high score to earn their license on the first try.

"Is there any _other_ surprises you want to spring on us?" said Edna irritably.

Mustang smirked at her. Edna had the sudden desire to punch his face in.

"So you are the two kids who want to be investigative alchemists, huh?"

Edna looked at Mustang.

"Ed, Al, this is Maes Hughes. He leads the Investigative division...if you two are planning to act as Investigative Alchemists, then he'll be your main point of contact and the one training you so you can make actual arrests," explained Mustang.

"What do you mean training?" asked Alphonse.

"It's like this... you two are planning to look into things like illegal research and fake miracles being created by alchemy, right?" said Hughes. They nodded. "That means you'll need to be trained in how to handle evidence and a crime scene, so that when you bust the bad guys it'll actually stick in court and they can face justice."

Alphonse nodded brightly.

"We won't have to actually undergo basic training, right?"

"There are civilians in our department, but you'll still be considered under military jurisdiction because you want to be _State_ Alchemists," said Hughes. "At most we'll want to be sure you can handle yourself against bigger opponents and can chase down the ones that try to run without actually killing anyone. Just to warn you though, you'll likely be called into court in order to explain things to non-alchemists."

"Got any other questions?" asked Mustang.

"Not at the moment," said Alphonse.

"I do. Are we going to be stuck with a lab space once we get our license?" asked Edna.

"Considering Investigative alchemists travel a lot, that's highly unlikely. You might be called in to inspect any labs where you're stationed however, and you'll still be required to do a yearly assessment. I'm not too sure what that would require, since most people aren't aware that it's an option," said Mustang.

* * *

As it turned out, the written exam was stupidly easy, in the opinion of the siblings. The psychological one was irritating, but they managed to pass.

It was the practical that they were tripping up on, because neither of them had written a working thesis regarding alchemy in their life.

Mustang had confirmed that the showing people made often lead to their _official_ codename as a State Alchemist. Which was the issue...neither of them had any real specialty and had no idea what to present in order to get their license.

And the practical was in _two_ days.

"Argh! At this rate we're going to have to wing it, because I have no idea what we're supposed to do!" said Edna unhappily.

"Why not use alkahestry? That was why we went to Xing, right?" said Alphonse.

Edna sighed in frustration.

"I can't think straight at _all_."

"It has been a rather nerve-wracking week," agreed Alphonse.

"What do you say to a mock-fight to clear our heads?"

Alphonse blinked, before nodded. Perhaps having a play fight like they always did would help give them a better idea of how to impress the people judging the practicals. Besides, it had been over a week since they had a chance to spar.

Edna grinned and made a set of 'roller blades' as Angel had called them. Alphonse took _one_ look at the wheels and groaned.

Edna had an unholy love for the things, whereas he could never stand up straight on them without falling on his ass.

"Same rules as always?" asked Edna. In her hands was the naginata their teacher in Xing had given her, after noticing her preferece to using spears.

Alphonse nodded, having already drawn his dao sword.

No words passed between them. At the unnoticed signal, Edna charged towards Alphonse, using the butt of her naginata to send her into the air. Alphonse, being no fool, quickly countered using a quick transmutation of the ground to give him a height advantage which crumbled the moment his foot left the earth.

The two of them sparred like a well-oiled team, neither gaining any real advantage of the other. Where Edna was swift and had a longer reach due to her weapon, Alphonse was strong and steady like the trees themselves, often using quick and dirty transmutations through the gloves on his hands to create walls and the odd bits of earth armor.

The siblings were so caught up in their sparring match they didn't even notice the audience until they registered the clapping for a quick breather.

"That is quite impressive," said their audience.

It was a man in military uniform with an eyepatch over one eye. He seemed vaguely familiar and it was Alphonse who recognized him first.

"Ed, that's the man who was at the psychological assessment!" hissed Alphonse.

"Wait...you mean Mustang's boss?" said Edna, eyes wide.

"I couldn't help but notice the rather impressive display you two were putting on. I'm rather eager to see what you two will pull off for the practical tomorrow," said Bradley in a rather friendly manner.

Angel, however spoke up.

"_Edna, don't show off any of your extra skills. His tone and body language might claim he's harmless but his eyes say something far more sinister,"_ she warned.

Edna silently acknowledged her warning. He could play off the 'friendly boss' all he wanted, but there was something about him that made her Qi-sensing ability ring all sorts of alarm bells. It was bad enough they kept sensing something weird in the ground, like there was a crowd of people beneath them even though they were completely alone.

"Nothing better than a little exercise to clear your head. Besides, we couldn't think of anything specific we wanted to do with for the practicals anyway," said Edna with false cheer.

"Oh I don't know, I daresay this little demonstration would be more than enough," said Bradley.

Okay, if Angel hadn't tipped her off that something was weird about the man, that fake as hell smile _would_ have. It didn't even remotely reach his eyes and it freaked her out.

Still he had given them an idea of what they could do for their practical. And it wasn't like they had any better ideas.

Edna hoped they wouldn't be sent out to the front lines because they were more "combat oriented" than "researchers".

* * *

Mustang pulled out the two files for the Elric siblings.

He couldn't believe _both_ of them had passed, particularly after the demonstration they did. He had to wonder who put it into their heads to go against each other using their alchemy like that in front of the generals supervising the entire thing.

He would be the first to admit it had been damn impressive, and it meant they could skip the majority of the training Hughes was going to put them through since they were clearly capable of putting grown men down without killing them in the process. They just needed to learn a few new tricks and they would be good to go.

He did have to wonder what Führer Bradley was smoking when he came up with their codenames though. Seriously, who would give a pair of kids names like "Fullmetal" and "Knight" Alchemists?

_A short time later..._

"Fullmetal?" repeated Edna incredulously. While it did sound badass, she had been trying to show off her grace and agility, not the fact she had an automail leg.

Alphonse was pretty happy with being called the "Knight" alchemist, even if he would inevitably have to deal mistaking the actual name for "Night" since the "K" was silent.

"What made you two decide that a sparring match was the best idea for the practical?" asked Mustang, because he _had_ to know.

Alphonse looked sheepish.

"Führer Bradley spotted us when we were mock-fighting the night before, and we couldn't think of anything better," he admitted.

Mustang looked like he had a headache.

"Well you two are officially certified Alchemists."

Edna high-fived her brother.

"So where are we stationed anyway?" asked Edna.

"It's fortunate in a way that you two are so young. Considering the display you put on, you would have been separated otherwise," said Mustang bluntly.

Wait, _what_?!

Edna's thought patterns must have shown on her face, because Mustang smirked at her.

"Did you really think the military would leave a pair of combat-oriented alchemists as smart as you two together unless there was mitigating circumstances? You're going to be sent all over the country checking up on potential illegal activity...if you were adults they would have split you up in a heart beat to make better use of you two," said Mustang flatly. "As it stands, I was able to cover for keeping both of you together by pointing out that the two of you would naturally cover for each other until you're older and have more experience under your belt."

"How did you get us under your command though?" asked Alphonse.

"You two are already comfortable with me, and the generals underestimate you both because so far the only thing you've both demonstrated is that you're good at using premade circles on the fly and have previous combat training. Besides, some of the higher ups would get pretty nervous having two intelligent _Investigative_ alchemists so close to the labs...there's no telling what you would find out and reveal to people they don't want knowing."

Edna smirked.

"So basically the guys above your paygrade agreed because they didn't want the headache of two curious kids butting their nose into official military secrets that are technically off the books and finding stuff that they _technically _shouldn't be playing around with," said Edna. "Especially those they can't pay off and will be given training to ask questions they really don't want answered."

Mustang's smirk said volumes.

"Since no one would have believed that a pair of kids could pass the exam on their first try, we don't have any official uniforms for you just yet," said Mustang.

Edna made a face.

"Do we have to wear them?"

"Only when on official business, otherwise no one is going to take you seriously as dogs of the military," said Mustang. "Unless you want to wear them full time to make the adults pay you the proper respect, but I would recommend sticking to civilian clothes otherwise."

"Because civilians will be more likely to talk to a couple of kids traveling to see 'grandma' or some other fictional relative, compared to two teenagers who recently joined the military," said Edna, already understanding why.

"That and it keeps me from having to hear people whine about employing child soldiers," agreed Mustang. "So long as you have the watch, you should be fine and if anyone asks you're undercover since no one would suspect a fourteen year old of being in the military or outranking someone."


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" said Edna irate.

"I saw the blood," said Alphonse flatly.

Edna grimaced. She had a minor freak out yesterday morning over the fact she had blood in her underwear and had no idea _why_, on top of the rather hellish stomach cramps from the past two days. She had thought it was nerves, but now she was worried it might be something else.

Then Alphonse remembered a comment Winry had made while they were visiting about having cramps as well. Was it possible Edna was finally hitting puberty and having her first period?

Spotting Lieutenant Hawkeye, Alphonse made a beeline right for her. He was glad there wasn't anyone else around.

"Do you need something Alphonse?" asked Hawkeye, looking at the irate Edna.

Edna glared at her brother.

"I told you I'm fine!"

"Not if you're having your first period," snarked Alphonse.

Hawkeye's eyebrows shot up as she looked between Alphonse and Edna in disbelief.

"I was under the impression that the older one was a boy."

Edna sulked.

"Edna hates being looked down at because she's a girl," explained Alphonse. "So much so she insisted we call her Ed shortly after mom died...by this point everyone just assumes she is a boy."

A look of understanding crossed Riza's face. Considering how few women were in the military, Ed...or rather _Edna_...would face a lot less harassment pretending to be a boy until her secret was blown or she gained enough notoriety to compensate. And from the comment Alphonse made earlier, Riza had the suspicion no one had bothered to give Edna the Talk, or she hadn't stuck around long enough for them to do so.

She was not paid _nearly_ enough to deal with this.

She mentally went over how to handle this, before she decided the best option was hiding the truth in plain sight. Besides, they still needed to get their _official_ uniforms anyway and they would need a tour of the city.

On the plus side, she knew dealing with this would be a lot less headache inducing compared to Mustang's usual antics.

"Wait in the break room for a few minutes and then we'll deal with this," said Riza.

"Yes ma'am," said the siblings.

("I'm taking the afternoon off to show the Elric siblings where to order their uniforms. If you do not finish that pile on your desk by tomorrow morning I am using you for target practice," said Riza flatly.

To her satisfaction, Mustang wilted in his seat slightly from her glare alone.)

The discussion she had with Edna was rather mortifying for the teenager, but at least she wasn't freaking out anymore about the blood in her underwear or the cramping. Alphonse wisely stayed out of it, and vacated the area long enough for Riza to explain what was going on and how to handle it.

Edna had ducked into their temporary hotel room to change her clothes to further hide her identity. Gone was the coat, jacket and black ensemble (though she kept her boots since they were the only pair of shoes she had at the moment). In it's place was a bright red shirt with sleeves that went down to her elbows and had small V-neck. She swapped her pants for a skirt that went down to just above her knees, and hid her automail underneath some long while leggings that we just loose enough not to reveal her metal leg. She undid her usual braid, making sure to brush through her hair to avoid any tangles later and tied away her bangs using the hair tie behind her head. She also threw on the medium-sized bag she used to carry her usual alchemy supplies...it would serve well enough as a purse.

Riza had to admit, the way Edna looked when she took her hair out of the braid changed her features enough that it would be hard for most to recognize her, never mind the outfit. If she hadn't know that Edna was the same loud-mouthed blond kid Mustang had found in Resembool she never would have known it was her.

"If anyone from the office asks, I'm your cousin who's visiting from Xing," said Edna flatly.

Riza blinked.

"Why Xing?"

"Al and I spent a couple of years there. We would have stayed longer but my automail needed adjusted and I had a nasty limp because of it," said Edna with a shrug.

"Fair enough," said Riza.

Edna was never more happy that Riza was such a pragmatic woman. Winry power-shopped like a demon, but Riza's military mindset kept them at the basic _minimum_, even if she did concede to a few 'extras'.

(Riza wisely kept them from going to the bookstore. Her CO was an alchemist and if given the chance he would spend hours browsing, and she didn't have the patience or inclination for that.)

"Do you plan to tell Mustang about your gender?" asked Riza.

Edna looked at her incredulous.

"Are you really asking me if I trust a man I barely know about the fact I'm a girl when he's a known playboy? Besides, it'll be funnier to see his expression if he finds out the hard way once I start actually developing as a girl and this way you can have a camera ready for the blackmail since you've known longer," said Edna.

Riza smirked. It would be a bit of amusement if Mustang found out the hard way that Fullmetal was actually a woman.

* * *

"Are you two nervous? This is your first official undercover assignment," asked Maes.

Considering the sibling's age, undercover was their best bet when investigating new areas. No one would suspect two teenagers under the age of sixteen to be undercover State Alchemists tracking down rumors and possible illegal research.

Edna grinned.

"Would you like to see a test run before we leave? Even though I know you sent two 'minders' just in case," said Edna.

"Yes," said Maes.

Knowing they wouldn't accidentally blow their cover would do a lot to ease his mind, actually.

"How about a practice run, since our train doesn't actually leave in two days? You can have the investigative team come up with a mock rumor about illegal research, like say 'human experimentation in Lab 5' or something, and if we can get most of the facts to spark an official investigation then you'll at least know what we're doing. If not, then send extra minders," said Edna.

Maes blinked, before a grin crossed his face. That sounded like the perfect test for two Investigative Alchemist and he could get a few of his friends in his department to set up the 'contacts' that had the rumors that would lead them to lab five, even if they didn't actually _go_ there because it was a test.

Maes started making calls, and soon had five volunteers...each of them had the same information, but were allowed to come up with the same spin so long it fit the general profile of the "suspicious rumor" the siblings were to investigate, which was "illegal experimentation in Lab 5 using human subjects".

He made sure the bar was military run and that the proprietor knew about the test beforehand, even going so far as to claim it was a 'training run', which meant the volunteers would have their drinks compensated.

(Which had a few men complaining about not volunteering sooner after the test, when that particular tidbit was shared. After all, what military man would say no to free booze?)

_In the bar..._

Maes was disguised in civilian clothing with his wife, enjoying a bite to eat since it was technically free. Gracia humored him because he had told her the purpose of the test and he wanted to see first hand how well Ed and his brother did.

The first clue he had that the Elrics were there was when his ears caught the words "lab five".

A rather young man was near the bar, ordering non-alcoholic drinks on the grounds that his playing would be terrible if he had anything outside water or tea. In his hands was a well loved violin and bow. Next to him was a rather pretty girl with mid-length blond hair and light brown eyes that almost looked like gold.

She was wearing a red dress with black buckle, and it swished this way and that whenever she moved. Her hair was lightly braided, mostly to keep it out of her face and was clean. He suspected she might be a knife fighter from the callouses on her hands...he had ones just like it.

Maes carefully listened as the young man offered to play something light and fun, while the girl provided the entertainment with a bit of dancing.

Some of the tables were carefully cleared out, leaving a space for the girl and a chair provided for the young man, who cheerfully put his violin to work providing the music.

Gracia certainly appreciated the music and was clapping her hands along.

In between sets, the young woman would ply the volunteers he had set up about certain rumors she had overheard. Considering they were being chatted up by a pretty girl and their tongues loosened by the drinks she was buying them, it didn't take much for them to spill the same general story.

That there was suspicious activity in Lab five and that rumors had it that people had gone missing recently in the vicinity, but since it was controlled by the military the local police couldn't investigate directly without permission.

Maes still couldn't find either of the Elrics, and he had been checking repeatedly every five minutes.

So you could imagine his complete shock when the girl who had danced _walked right up to him_ and dropped a familiar notepad on his table.

"Who was it that said we couldn't do undercover work?" said Edna smugly.

Maes stared at the notepad, then at her in absolute shock before he actually looked at her face properly and made the connection.

"Ed?" he said in disbelief.

"Actually, her real name is Edna. She just hates being looked down upon for being a girl," said the violinist...who turned out to be Alphonse.

Maes was stunned.

"I thought you said that the Elrics were a pair of brothers?" asked Gracia.

Edna smirked.

"Like anyone would be able to tell the difference between a boy or a girl who prefers boy's clothing when puberty hadn't fully hit," she said smugly. "So did we pass?"

Maes had a headache, but looked through the notepad Edna had been discreetly writing in while chatting up the volunteers.

"I can't believe I'm saying this...but you were more successful at getting information than some of my senior investigators."

He never suspected she was a State Alchemist at all, let alone investigating a fake rumor they had created as a test.

Edna and Alphonse gave each other a high-five.

"I'd like to meet a man who _doesn't_ talk too much in front of a pretty girl, especially when beer is involved," said Edna smugly.

Maes snorted at that. She had his men talking too much in order to impress her with their jobs on top of the free beer and had the rumor out in less than an hour. Plus everyone "knew" that the Elrics were a pair of brothers, not an older sister and her younger brother.

"So what should I call you?" asked Maes cheerfully, most of his worries put at ease knowing the Elrics did know how to go undercover better than some of his long-term operatives.

"Edna," she replied. "But only when my hair is down, otherwise stick to Ed. Besides at least this way you'll get blackmail you can use on the Colonel for _years_ because I sincerely doubt he's even aware of the fact I'm a girl."

Maes brightened up _evilly_ at that. She was probably right, because even her _file_ stated that "Fullmetal", aka "Ed Elric" was a boy. This would likely prove hilarious if and when it came out.

"So who else knows?"

"Just Lieutenant Hawkeye. _Someone_, who shall remain partially nameless, had a minor freak out when puberty finally started kicking in for me," said Edna.

The glare at her brother said volumes who it was.

Maes snorted...and made a note to send Hawkeye a bottle of her favorite booze. She likely needed it after that headache.

* * *

Two weeks later, Edna and her brother came back with their first official report.

The "suspicious activity" they had been sent to investigate resolved itself in a way...namely in that the main culprit had bitten off more than he could chew and had killed himself, but not before taking out five local girls for his experiments. Apparently he was trying to bring back his lost love...who turned out to have survived the crash she supposedly died in and had simply lost her memories. The poor woman was understandably distraught learning her old friend had fallen so far trying to get her back, rather than look for her body.

Depressing, but then again they were supposed to keep an eye out for such things and report it. Edna made _very_ sure to erase some of the circle she sent back, leaving out a few parts so none of the researchers would their hands on it.

Failed or not, she didn't want _that_ hanging over her head.

"Well done... you two seem to have a knack for this sort of work," said Mustang.

"I will never understand why he went so far as to use _dolls_ in order to tempt her back when the array was all wrong for it," said Edna shaking her head.

Even _before_ she did a few...minor...alterations, she could tell the circle wasn't going to work.

Mustang silently looked over the photo of the array in question and agreed that the circle wasn't worth using...even if he did see the minor alterations Fullmetal performed before handing taking the picture.

"So...how does it feel to go on your first official assignment?" smirked Mustang.

Edna pulled a face.

"I would have liked it better if the adults didn't talk over us despite the watches," said Edna.

That had ended rather quick once the minders informed the police that "Yes, the two kids who reported the crime _were_ legitimate State Alchemists and actually outranked them, but operated on short-term undercover basis only."

Even Alphonse had been annoyed.

"Well the good news is that your report and the reports of the two minders we sent have at least given you _some_ credibility with the higher ups as 'Special Investigators'," said Mustang cheerfully.

Specifically the fact that Edna and Alphonse had located the potential troublemaker within the first ten hours of entering the town, and that was without Edna acting as her actual gender.

The civilians bought the cover story that the two were a pair of 'fledgling alchemist siblings' and were more than happy to direct them to the town's lone alchemist. It had taken them all of three days to find out what he was doing and put a stop to it.

"Since you did such a good job, and because it's about that time of year again, command wants you to check on the Youswell coal mine," said Mustang.

Edna snorted.

"I wonder if they got rid of that idiot Yoki yet. I know Halling and his friends were more than happy to beat the shit out of his goon squad," she commented.

Mustang paused.

"How did you know the former military officer in charge of the town was recently discharged for blatant corruption and bribery? Or the name of the main point of contact?" he asked suspiciously.

"Ed and I passed through the town, saw how bad things were because Yoki was bleeding it dry, and tricked him into signing over the deeds which we then gave to Halling in order to pay for our stay at his wife's inn since they were overcharging potential customers in an attempt to make ends meet," said Alphonse.

"Yeah, we took the train from there to Rush Valley in order to meet up with Winry since I needed my leg looked at," agreed Edna.

Mustang stared at them.

"Do I want to know what you did to trick that idiot?"

"Do the words 'plausible deniability' mean anything in your language?" Edna shot back.

"That would be a no then. Just double check the mine is still good and come back," said Mustang.

"No minders this time right?" asked Alphonse.

"Since they clearly know you two already and you've done them a huge favor, no," said Mustang.

Aside from the ribbing they got for becoming State Alchemists, Edna and Alphonse were more than happy to report that the mine was still good and that the miners were at least cooperative...so long as Central didn't send anyone like Yoki to try and bleed them dry again.


	5. Chapter 5

"Why is it that we were roped into this? I _hate_ chimeras!" asked Edna.

"Part of your job is to inspect the labs, and this will give you an idea of what an assessment is like," said Mustang unsympathetic. He eyed her for a moment. "You don't like chimeras?"

"Neither of us do," said Alphonse. "Never mind a moral standpoint, just being around them is enough to make either of us lose our lunch."

"Why?" asked Mustang, honestly curious.

"It's an empathy thing," said Edna, unable to express more than that.

"Empathy?"

Alphonse grimaced.

"Ed and I can sense intent, and the emotions that come off chimeras turns our stomachs to the point they rebel against us," he tried to explain.

"That plus it's obvious to anyone that the creature's mind is tearing itself apart trying to understand which instinct it's supposed to follow," said Edna with a grimace. "Imagine the disaster from fusing an apex carnivore like a lion with a harmless rabbit, if you will."

Mustang visualized that for a moment, and grimaced. They may have a point.

"So what is this man famous for?" asked Alphonse.

"Shou Tucker brought in a chimera that could talk for his practical. He has a three year old daughter named Nina, so be nice."

"A chimera. That could talk," said Edna. "Just out of curiosity was it made out of any bird species known to mimic human language?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I only heard about it second hand," said Mustang.

Edna had a bad feeling about this, one that Angel was wide awake and alert for. If anything seemed suspicious, they were going to start snooping _immediately_.

* * *

Nina was adorable, and within minutes she became firmly attached to Edna's side.

Small children everywhere seemed to instinctively recognized an awesome older sister figure that would let them get away with almost anything if they were cute enough about it...including extra sweets. Alphonse snickered at the fact Nina had already blackmailed Edna into a brief piggy back ride, to the girl's delight.

"You certainly have a way with children Fullmetal," said Mustang openly amused.

"We did a _lot_ of babysitting," said Edna shrugging slightly. Her temper might get her into trouble occasionally with the adults, but the kids always knew that regardless of how crabby she was that she would never hurt them.

"I see," said Mustang.

Edna wondered if Mustang was aware they were discreetly interrogating Nina about where her mother disappeared to. Something about Shou Tucker rang all sorts of nasty alarm bells in her head and there was no way she was dismissing them considering those same instincts had saved her ass time and time again.

Besides, the panicked look in his eyes when he realized his research wasn't likely to cut it for his yearly assessment gave her a really bad feeling.

"Having a small kid around when you're trying to put a research project together makes things harder than it needs to be. If you want we can watch over Nina until the assessment is over for you," offered Alphonse.

"I wouldn't want to impose," said Tucker.

"Ed is actually really good with small children. At the very least we can wear Nina out so she'll sleep through the night and you won't have to worry about keeping an eye on her until you've turned in your work," Alphonse assured him.

"I... Thank you. I'll keep that under consideration," said Tucker.

It wasn't until they left the home and we well out of earshot of the other alchemist that Mustang turned a Look on them both.

"You suspect something."

"A chimera that can talk and a mother who disappeared without a trace when he was attempting to get certified for the grant money? If it was some form of bird I _might_ have believed it, but the entire thing seems suspicious to me," said Edna flatly.

Alphonse nodded.

"What about the little girl though?" asked Mustang.

"Actually that offer was genuine. Ed actually enjoys watching over kids and often acted as a free babysitter when we were training in Xing," said Alphonse.

"Why were you in Xing?" asked Mustang.

"They have alchemy over there, but they call it alkahestry and it's a little bit different from the way we do it in Amestris," said Edna.

"How so?"

"Distance alchemy and there's an entire branch of it that specializes in healing," said Alphonse promptly. "Then again Ed opted to learn how to heal people the really old fashioned way before modern medicine became wildly available."

"Considering how close I came to nearly _dying_ because neither of us knew about medicine at all and my left leg was practically half gone and bleeding out, can you really blame me?" she snarked irritably.

Mustang openly winced at that...in retrospect learning about medicine, even if it wasn't the usual kind, made _perfect_ sense if Fullmetal wanted to avoid a repeat.

"So you think Shou Tucker did something."

"If his wife _is_ in fact alive and living with relatives, I'll consider dropping it. However the fact his chimera could talk and his wife suddenly up and left according to Nina sounds really suspicious to me," said Edna bluntly.

"Yeah...his Qi did feel really unhinged," agreed Alphonse shuddering.

"Qi?" repeated Mustang.

"You know that sixth sense all decent soldiers develop, if only to stay alive on the battlefield or in a dangerous situation?" asked Edna. Mustang nodded. "It's an advanced application of that, only you can't really turn it off."

"Sounds useful."

"It's a pain in the ass to train, and it requires you spend a lot of your free time learning how to hone your senses. On the plus side, it makes detecting enemies a lot easier."

Neither of the siblings mentioned the strange crawling sensation they had felt since returning to Amestris. Until they knew _exactly_ what it was, it was better to keep quiet about it.

Shou Tucker took them up on the offer to look after Nina while he was working on keeping his license. Nina was delighted to have two older siblings who didn't mind playing with her and were more than happy to give their undivided attention to the bored three-year-old.

_A week later..._

"Shou Tucker has been arrested," said Mustang without preamble. "They dug up the chimera he brought in...it was a partial match to his wife."

"What about Nina?" asked Alphonse concerned.

"Hughes has already put in the application to adopt her, since I had him dig into what happened to Tucker's wife," said Mustang tiredly. "How did you know?"

"Partly because of the bad feeling I kept getting from him and the story Nina gave about her mother suddenly leaving without any prior warning...but mostly it was the fact it could talk," admitted Edna.

Mustang looked at her oddly.

"The fact it could talk?"

"Some species of birds have been known to mimic human speech, but that's about the only animal I know of that can do so. A monkey might have the brain capacity to match a small child, but it doesn't have the right vocal cords to pull off human speech. A _human_ however..."

"Has the right vocal cords and the horror of being put through that would explain why it starved itself," said Mustang grimly.

If Fullmetal hadn't noticed it, no one would have realized until it was too late. A closer psychological exam revealed Tucker was unhinged enough that he would have even used his own daughter Nina to create a talking chimera, just to keep his funding.

* * *

"Remind me again why we're going to Liore?" said Edna irritably. Automail and the desert _did not mix_, and she was so going to prank Mustang for sending her here.

"Some new religion based on so-called 'miracles' has caught the Colonel's attention," said Alphonse grumpily...why is it he always got sand _everywhere_ in his clothes?

"Didn't you cast a repelling charm?"

"I _did_," said Alphonse irritably. "I really wish we had brooms or _something_."

"It's not my fault the car suddenly broke an axel halfway to Liore," Edna pointed out.

"Or that the engine blew from all the sand in the air," said Alphonse.

"At least we're not sweltering from the heat thanks to the cooling charms."

"Or gagging on the sand thanks to the bubblehead charm," Alphonse pointed out.

The wind was bad enough that if they weren't covering their mouths, breathing would have been an issue very quickly.

"And at least this time we knew enough not to wear any dark clothing," said Alphonse almost cheerful.

Last time poor Edna had been _miserable_ with her preference in darker clothing, whereas Alphonse wasn't nearly as overheated considering he liked lighter colors. Edna looked at her outfit and grimaced slightly...having to invert the black with white trim scheme was very annoying.

"So what do you think? Traveling siblings in search of deadbeat dad?" she asked.

Alphonse grimaced.

"This far out?"

"Good point. Traveling musician?"

"I didn't bring my violin," said Alphonse.

"_Ask about any local ruins,"_ suggested Angel.

"Local ruins?" repeated Edna without thinking.

"Angel awake?"

Edna nodded.

"Archaeologists _would_ trek through the desert for ruins..." mused Alphonse. "And we could easily create the needed equipment to go along with the camera in your bag."

"Or I could be an aspiring chef who wants to investigate unusual flavors," said Edna.

"...Let's stick with the archaeologist story instead. No one is going to believe the chef story as easily as that one," said Alphonse.

Edna nodded. Spotting a sandstorm on the way, the two created a quick shelter and made a few common tools of the trade to back up their story.

_In Liore..._

"Ugh! What is that awful smell?!" demanded Edna, pinching her nose.

"Is that booze?" said Alphonse, crinkling his.

Closer inspection of a nearby fountain revealed that there was a 'free-flowing' source of wine...complete with cups on the outer rim.

"**This is highly suspicious," **said Edna in Xingese.

"**Agreed...who thinks a source of free alcohol, even something as weak as wine, is a good idea?"**said Alphonse in the same tongue.

"**That and it reaks to high heaven,"** said Edna.

"Hey! What are you two kids doing there?" shouted one of the locals.

"Just looking at the source of that awful smell," said Edna. "Who's bright idea was it to make a free-flowing fountain of wine?"

"Lord Cornello made it for us a few years back... pretty ritsy, right?" said the man proudly, once he knew they weren't trying to sneak a sip.

"If by ritsy you mean pointless and wasteful. How exactly do you keep it at the right temperature to bring out the proper flavor? Drinking wine at room temperature, or above it considering the location we're in, completely ruins the better qualities in the taste. And don't get me started on the fire hazard this thing is...alcohol is rather flameable," said Edna critically.

The adult stared at her.

"And isn't keeping the fountain clean a pain? I mean sand must get into this thing a lot, which only ruins the taste further," said Alphonse, eyeing the street.

"...You know for a couple of kids you know a lot about wine," said the man suspiciously.

"We spend a lot of time traveling... learning about the nuances of wine is one of the ways to kill time on a train," explained Edna quickly.

"The rest is common sense," said Alphonse agreeing with her.

That seemed to pacify the adult.

"You two street artists or something?"

"Traveling archaeologists," said Edna without missing a beat. "We heard there might be a revitalized religion that cropped up around here recently and wanted to see if it matched any of the older ones that fell out of favor...especially considering the debacle in Ishbal."

Most of _that_ mess was caused by the fact that the Ishvalans took great offense towards Alchemy, and the military didn't like having their favorite toy disparaged. Some bright young idiot made the mistake of killing an innocent child, causing a war to break out between the originally peaceful natives and the unwanted interlopers.

Edna and Alphonse didn't have an issue with the fact that the Ishvalans disliked Alchemy because it went against their religious beliefs, but a lot of people were still pissed because they lost someone in that war. Even though the Ishvalans lost their homeland because of it and were forced to live in slums.

Seeing the adult wince at the reminder, Edna knew he wouldn't be asking too many questions about their lack of parents. _No one_ wanted a repeat of what happened in Ishbal over a miscommunication about the local religion.


	6. Chapter 6

"...Alphonse," said Edna.

"Yeah, I see it too. How is he _doing_ that?" said Alphonse in horrified fascination.

"Are you two here for the local miracle display?" asked Rose hopefully.

"Miracles my ass," said Edna flatly. "That bird's head is clearly held limply and isn't actually alive. And that odd lighting from his hand is definitely alchemy, though I don't see the circles needed."

Rose blinked, before she huffed.

"Your just mad because your faith isn't strong enough to make you taller!"

"I'm _barely_ fifteen!" Edna shot back offended. "Name _one_ teenager who hasn't had an overdue growth spurt or two. Besides, Al is a few months younger than me and he's no taller than I am!"

Rose wisely backed off. She hadn't known Ed was only fifteen.

"What I want to know is what the hell that man is playing at, faking miracles using alchemy," said Edna offended.

"Can alchemy bring the dead back to life?" Rose shot back, a note of painful hope in her voice.

"What are you talking about?" asked Alphonse alarmed.

"Father Cornello can bring back the dead," said Rose.

Edna and Alphonse looked at each other in open alarm at that statement.

"Please for the love of all things holy tell me you are _joking_ about that," said Edna.

"I've heard of several people Father Cornello had brought back."

Edna had a horrible feeling about this. She highly doubted that the man was using actual human transmutation...however using birds were another story. It would be ridiculously easy to create some sort of bird puppet that mimicked the dead's voice enough to fool their desperate loved ones, since hope would have made them overlook key facts.

"What I don't get is how he's pulling it off without a circle," muttered Alphonse.

"I know. That's bothering me a lot too," said Edna.

_Later that night..._

Cornello was not happy. He never thought that the military would send the Fullmetal Alchemist to this pathetic little town.

He had no idea there was actually a branch of the military that _specifically_ investigated supposed miracles until the Fullmetal brat started making a reputation for himself.

Edward Elric was quickly becoming famous, not only because of his age, but also for his skills in alchemy. His younger brother wasn't as well known, despite having obtained his license at the same time as his older sibling.

The mess with the Sewing Life alchemist had gained the brat a lot of notoreity as he had blown the fact that the man had used his wife in his chimera research wide open, despite the fact that several adults had missed it.

There was no way Elric would miss his trick with the birds, which was something he could ill-afford.

_A short while later..._

Nothing felt quite so satisfying as pounding Cornello's face into the stone after the crap he put them through. Stone or not, Edna wasn't about to let this bastard get away with the disaster he was trying to cause.

Having her very _skills_ insulted by claiming it was all the watch, Edna simply couldn't resist briefly animating the massive Leto statue in the church to scare the piss out of the bastard.

What really worried her wasn't the way the people would react to her so-called _miracle_, but the crawling sensation that she and Al had been forced to learn how to live with that seemed to span all over Amestris.

The stone in the fat pig's hand was giving off an almost _identical_ sensation, but it felt different. Almost like it was _incomplete_ in some way, but it still gave Edna an idea of what was causing the skin crawling sensation through her Qi sense.

Was it possible they were sensing Philosopher's stones? More importantly, she also sensed the presence of two anomalies like Bradley nearby, except they had a slightly different flavor.

"What are we supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?" demanded Rose. Her entire life had been upended, especially learning that her boyfriend could never be brought back.

Edna looked at her...and sighed.

"Belief in something is fine...I'm not about to judge you for whatever deity you have faith exists. However I wasn't about to stand by and let that bastard turn this place into another Ishbal. Our sister in all but blood lost her parents in that war, and they were doctors who treated both sides," said Edna flatly. "The only thing I can suggest is that you get up and start moving forward, a little bit at a time. It doesn't matter _what_ you do, just that you keep going forward without the urge to be lost in what could have been."

Rose was silent, her tears flowing freely.

"And what about you two?" she demanded.

"We're still trying to figure that out," said Alphonse. "We're not perfect, but it's better to try and fail, then to stay in a situation that would break you."

"Just remember Rose...if Cornello had his way, this place would have been a second Ishbal because he wanted to play god. Do you really want the weight of standing by and doing nothing while a civil war destroys your home?" asked Edna pointedly.

Rose said nothing...but those words would haunt her very shortly, even if the three didn't know it.

* * *

Edna managed to beg off any new assignments for a least a week. Having to deal with the clusterfuck that was Liore meant that they both needed a spiritual break.

Which meant that she and Alphonse had plenty of time to investigate what the hell that crawling sensation under their feet was while they were visiting Granny, who gave Edna's automail leg a proper once over since they were there anyway.

Edna, to her delight, had another growth spurt shortly after her birthday. The limp wasn't too noticeable now, but she would need to have it adjusted.

Best of all Edna could charge the military for the maintenance fees.

"What the actual fuck?!" said Edna, having finally managed to dig up a bright red stone from the basement of their house.

Alphonse looked highly disturbed.

"Isn't that the same stone Cornello was using?" he asked, rubbing his arms from the crawling sensation that thing was giving off.

"Yeah, but this feels more of a 'complete' version than the half-assed one he was using," said Edna.

"_That thing has human _souls_ bonded to it,"_ snarled Angel.

Edna all but dropped the stone from shock.

"What?!"

"_I can sense it. There are human souls in that _thing_. I suspect the reason these are so rare is because it requires human sacrifice...which would neatly explain the coloring," _said Angel growling.

"Ed?"

"Angel said this thing might be made of human sacrifices, because she senses human _souls_ coming from it."

Alphonse looked sick.

"Oh gods...then the crawling sensation we keep feeling like we're in the middle of a crowd of people when there's no one there..."

"Is because of these," said Edna looking sick herself.

"What do we do about them?" asked Alphonse.

"I have no idea!"

"_Rebury it or hide it in your things until we find an array to get rid of the damn things? I mean considering what that idiot Cornello used with a fake..." _said Angel tentatively.

"_You just said it was made of people's _souls,"said Edna accusingly.

"_Let me put it this way...you two have been feeling that same crawling sensation _all over Amestris_. I bet if you dug deeper you would find more of them. Now ask yourself this... how is it that no one has noticed large numbers of people being sacrificed in order to _make_ enough of those things to cover damn near the entire country?"_

Edna paused.

"_I will bet you a fool's ransom that someone is _deliberately_ seeding this country with those stones for some big end game. Which means that until we find out what the hell is really going on and why there are so many, we need all the advantages we can get. Besides, I would hope that the poor people who were sacrificed to make those things would rather be used for good, instead of being abused for evil purposes like the one Cornello had."_

Edna silently conceded her point, however distasteful it was having such a thing with her.

"Ed, what are you doing?" said Alphonse appalled when she pocketed it.

"Angel pointed out that we've been feeling this same thing all over Amestris, and that there is a strong chance that this might be some sort of massive end game that will bite us in the ass sooner or later. We need to find out the range of these things so we know how many of them are around," said Edna unhappily.

Alphonse was not pleased.

"Look, it's just until we find an array or some method to get rid of them all. I don't like it any more than you do," said Edna.

Edna made a necklace of sorts to contain the stone, and hid it under the appearance of a locket. If anyone asked she was going to pull out the small copy of one of the few photos they have of their mother before her death, which was also attached to the chain and hide the stone in her hand.

* * *

Edna was in the mood to enjoy some night life, and Alphonse was planning to read for a few hours anyway. Besides, even _they_ needed a break from one another every so often.

Edna went into the small bathroom and took a quick shower. Once she was cleaned, she brushed out her hair and let it fall without bothering to put it into a braid or anything so long as it was tangle free. She reached into her suitcase for what she planned to wear tonight.

Just because she preferred to hide as a boy didn't mean she hated dressing up like a teenage girl on occasion. Inside the suitcase was a dress she had fallen in love with and made a point to buy the first chance she had before the train came. Thanks to the wonders of an expanded suitcase, she had a decent mixture of male and female clothing.

The dress she wore was a slinky black dress that opened up a bit at the bottom and was incredibly swishy that had a vibrant red rose design on the side. It went down to her knees and went perfectly with the long white leggings that she used to hide her automail. She put on her new pair of dancing shoes and walked out of the room.

Alphonse looked up from his book and blinked.

"When did you buy that?"

"Right before we came back from Liore," admitted Edna. "What do you think?"

Alphonse looked at her.

"It looks really good on you. If I didn't know any better I never would have recognized you," he admitted.

Edna beamed at him.

"I'm off to go dancing. Think you can handle the fort alone or would you like to come with?"

"I'm good thanks," said Alphonse.

Edna was an alchemist and had extremely sensitive Qi sense. Any pervert that tried to get fresh with her was going to be in for a _very_ unpleasant surprise.

Edna passed the locket and the stone necklace to Alphonse. He grimaced and tossed it into his suitcase, before going back to reading.

The blond alchemist wandered around, having already found that the local night life and dancing halls were a bit too loud and noisy for her tastes, when she ended up near one of the canals.

The night was rather beautiful and more importantly _quiet._

So you could imagine her absolute shock when she heard a _very_ familiar voice.

"Well this is a very unexpected sight. I thought angels stayed up in heaven?"

Edna slowly turned...and sure enough, there was Mustang, clearly coming off work. Was he seriously chatting her up like another one of his dates?

(It took her all of five minutes to realize he didn't even _recognize_ her. Naturally her inner troll all but demanded she flirt back at him if only to see the look on his face when he realized who she was.)

"If that was your idea of a pick-up line, I regret to inform you that I've heard better from _five year olds_," she shot back dryly.

Mustang gained a mock hurt expression on his face.

"And here I was attempting polite conversation with a very pretty girl," he said with a winning smile.

She had to wonder how many women fell for that act of his.

"I was just enjoying the peace and quiet," she said.

"Mind if I join you then? I just got off work," he said, still smiling.

Edna's disbelief at the situation wasn't enough to keep flirting with Mustang.

"Unfortunately I have to leave anyway. I have work in the morning and my brother will be worried enough as it is," she said.

Mustang looked a little disappointed, but smiled anyway.

"Another time then."

"Considering I've seen you with different women with depressing regularity, I highly doubt it," she shot back.

She only _just_ caught the look of surprise on his face when she said that.

* * *

_In the hotel room..._

"Seriously? The Colonel just started _flirting _with you out of the blue?" said Alphonse in disbelief and open amusement.

"From what I could tell, the guy didn't even _recognize_ me."

"Wow that's... I have no idea how to express it."

"Hilarious? Mortifying? Ridiculous?" said Edna, throwing it out.

"I'm going with hilarious and definitely blackmail worthy," said Alphonse firmly. "Are you sure he didn't recognize you?"

"Would _you _have recognized me on the street if you hadn't seen me walk out of the bathroom?" she pointed out.

"Good point. Do you think he was seriously flirting with you though?"

Edna made a face.

"I hope not. It's not like there are many guys willing to date a girl with an automail leg, never mind someone who is a State Alchemist without trying to use them," said Edna. "Oh well...knowing my luck I doubt I'd run into the Colonel when I'm out having a night off again."

She wasn't that lucky, and Hawkeye suddenly had to develop a poker face to counteract her amusement at the fact that the Colonel had _no_ idea the "pretty blond named Edna" was actually his subordinate Fullmetal.

Alphonse merely watched in horror as the two women conspired against Colonel Mustang in regards to their comebacks. Riza had quite a few stored up that she wanted to use on him for years, but couldn't because he was her superior officer.

Vengeance would be hers, even if it was vicariously through an equally vindictive teenager.


	7. Chapter 7

Out of all the things to happen to her, having one of her superior officers flirting with her on her downtime was not something she would have anticipated.

At first she thought he was just messing with her, but now she was absolutely certain he didn't recognize her at all.

Which was somewhat hilarious, because it meant she could mess with him using half truths like Angel suggested and get to enjoy listening to him talk about her 'alter ego' during work hours.

Even if Riza was the one to clue him in that "Edna" was her cousin from out of town and that she was still only fifteen. Considering quite a few people actually remembered Riza taking Edna around shopping when her period hit, she had no issue with continuing that particular deception.

Officially, Edna was a dancer who happened to like alchemy that traveled with her younger brother Al who was her violinist. He had aspirations to join the State Alchemists, but was paying off the books he would need to study for it by helping her out.

Of course the game would be over in a heartbeat the _second_ Mustang met her younger brother, but it was still fun to mess with him.

So you could imagine her surprise being brought before a woman by the name of Madam Christmas who bore a scary resemblance to Mustang.

"So. You're the girl my nephew has become infatuated with of late. You don't have the look of a dancer. In fact I would say you're already in the same line of work as Roy-boy," said the woman.

Edna didn't cringe...however much she wanted to.

"To be fair, he's the one who hasn't caught on to the fact his subordinate is actually a girl who prefers not to deal with the harassment of superior officers who think they can take advantage of the youngest female State Alchemist in history," said Edna flatly. "It's not like I was trying to hide who I was when I was dressed casual for a bit of fun."

Madam Christmas stared Edna down, as if trying to ascertain whether or not the younger girl was only planning to use her nephew for her own ends. Edna stared right back...she had long since seen hell and survived.

"What are your intentions to Roy-boy?"

"I have none. I'm still in shock he started flirting with me in the first place and it's not like I have time for boyfriends," said Edna bluntly. "Most boys my age would be turned off by the fact I'm a State Alchemist, never mind the fact I have an automail leg and can almost certainly kick their ass. And the few that pretend to look past it are usually either trying to sleep with me or want to use my connections to further their own ends. Besides, if Colonel Mustang wants anything like that from me, I fully intend to make him _work_ for it... his habits of playing around aren't something I find amusing."

"Don't break his heart," said Madam Christmas, apparently satisfied with whatever she saw in the much younger girl.

"How can I? He's more likely to break mine first, especially since he still hasn't figured out who I am. I wouldn't know the first thing about romantic love, after all."

* * *

_Two weeks later..._

Perhaps it was luck, perhaps it was just fate, but soon after news began to spread that someone was going around murdering State Alchemists, Edna and Alphonse came to Eastern Command to check in.

Edna was _not_ pleased learning that they would have to deal with _bodyguards_ their entire stay since the killer was still in the area.

"Ed, what if you run into this guy?" asked Alphonse worriedly, seeing Edna about to sneak out.

Edna scoffed.

"All anyone knows about us is that the Elric 'brothers' are blond, very young for State Alchemists and that I wear a red coat and black outfit. Besides, I'm leaving my watch here, which is the only real identifier of a State Alchemist anyway. That, and if _Mustang_ can't recognize me while I'm actually being a girl, there's no way in hell the killer will know who I am."

Alphonse paused. That was actually a good point, and it was one of the ways they used to hide what they were really looking into when they came to towns that were less than pleased with the military.

"Just...take a few kunai with you, okay?"

"Do I look stupid enough to walk around town at night without a weapon?" said Edna incredulous. "Relax, I'll be back before morning."

Edna slipped out with ease, as she was a bit of a monkey anyway. Besides, she was wearing shorts under her dress.

Once down, she slipped past the guard rotation and onto the main streets.

As usual, Roy somehow managed to track her down within two hours of slipping out.

"How is it you _always_ know when I'm out for a night off while in town?" she asked.

"I have special powers," said Roy smiling.

"And I am calling total bullshit on that, because if you did then cousin Riza wouldn't complain as much about you slacking off work," said Edna without hesitation.

Roy snorted.

"Fine...a certain third party, who shall remain nameless and has been harping at me to get a wife, seems to have a sixth sense whenever you're in town and lets me know," said Roy.

"...Does this third party go on and on about his wife and newborn daughter?" deadpanned Edna.

"I will neither confirm or deny it," said Roy, eyes glinting with mischief.

That would be a yes then. She was going to leave something foul in the next information package she sent to Hughes... or maybe not. Girl talk was good for something and maybe Hughes would learn better than to annoy her if she gave his wife _ideas_ of things they could do in the bedroom.

Angel was a wellspring of them and all for a little minor embarrassment if it was for a good prank.

(On an unrelated note, Hughes wisely learned to keep his mouth shut on Edna's love life because he caught his wife Gracia reading some books that made him very nervous. He didn't know what this BDSM thing was, and he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to know if it involved Gracia learning how to use a whip! He thought Edna was just passing along some recipes she found that looked interesting!)

* * *

Roy was in a very good mood. Despite how prickly Edna could be, she had still accepted his invitation to dinner. So he was slightly annoyed with Hughes when he showed up unannounced and started chatting with Edna a bit.

"You two know each other?"

"Edna is one of my best informants. She keeps an ear out for interesting rumors and passes them along indirectly through Gracia," said Hughes.

Which was true... Edna _did_ pass any information packets she made for Hughes and his department when she was acting as a girl. Outside of that, she would hand them directly to Hughes himself. After all, no one would look twice at two women sharing recipes.

Though Hughes was more than a bit worried considering some of the _other_ things Edna kept slipping to Gracia outside of the recipes. While he was glad his wife wanted more intimate time together, he was worried where Edna was picking this stuff up considering she was only fifteen!

Hell, he wasn't sure if Edna even knew what sex was!

"Do you really have to interrupt our dinner?" said Roy irritably.

"Hughes, unless you want me to pass along another...instruction... manual for Gracia, I suggest you leave," said Edna.

Hughes paled at that and booked.

Roy looked at her oddly.

"Instruction manual?"

"I have an older sister who suggested I give Gracia a 'how-to' guide that would give Hughes nightmares. Something about experimenting in the bedroom. I didn't really pay attention outside of copying down what she told me to," said Edna dismissively.

Roy...mentally made a note to find out what exactly scared Hughes so badly. Though considering her comment it was pretty clear Edna never had a boyfriend before.

_In the barracks..._

"So how was your date with Colonel Mustang?" asked Alphonse impishly.

"It was not a date!"

"Did he take you out to dinner?"

"To a surprisingly nice place near command. We spent most of the dinner talking about alchemy," admitted Edna.

"Don't you think it's about time you came clean about who you are?"

"Why?" asked Edna. She was having fun with the fact he had no idea it was her.

"You just seem really happy whenever you come back from a date with him. I think he would be good for you," said Alphonse.

"Have you been talking to Hughes again?"

"Whatever you said or did to him had him backing off overtly shipping you two as a couple," said Alphonse. "Winry thought it was cute when I mentioned it though. She said something about 'it was about time'."

Edna scowled.

"I don't need my little brother butting into my love life."

"I just want you to be happy. At least with Colonel Mustang I know you two get along to some extent."

"Yeah, and how many guys would date a girl who has an automail leg?"

Alphonse probably only brought up Winry because Edna had been developing a limp again. Automail was such a pain in the ass sometimes.

"You should give him a chance."

"I'll call Winry in the morning to see if she can come and give me an adjustment," said Edna grumpily.

Hoping Roy would take the news Edna had an automail leg well, she used the suggestion of Angel and brought up 'Edward Elric' in order to ask what the Fullmetal Alchemist was like in person.

Depending on how he answered that question, Edna _might_ reveal who she was to him later.

"Edward is...well, he's a hot headed idiot with a big heart, a minor anger issue towards his height, and he carries too much of the world's weight on his shoulders," said Roy after a moment.

"Sounds like an interesting person."

"Ed has seen hell, but he hasn't let it destroy his kindness and he would do anything to protect his younger brother. Alphonse has the patience of a saint, which he needs to deal with his older brother. But Ed has his good qualities too...he helps others even when there's nothing in it for him and never lets what the world throws at him break his spirit. He's smart, sarcastic, and kind."

Edna...was rather touched by the way Roy described her, not that he was aware of it.

"You really like him, don't you?"

"He might be a bit of a brat sometimes, but I do care about my subordinates. I never want to see the military break Ed's spirit," said Roy tiredly.

"I'm sure he'd be happy if you ever told him that."

"Ed doesn't like letting people get close. He'd probably run if he knew how the people in my office really felt about him," said Roy.

"So I heard a rumor that your next assessment you're going to be in a mock-fight with Fullmetal."

Roy smirked, glad for the slight subject change.

"Now how did you hear about that?"

"Hughes," said Edna.

"Apparently the subject came up as to who was stronger, me or Edward and the Führer decided that it would be an amusing idea to play out," said Roy. "Fortunately it's going to be restricted to military personel only."

"I'm sure Riza or Hughes can sneak me in," said Edna laughing. "I just hope my automail mechanic will show up soon."

"You have automail?" asked Roy.

This was a fairly good night for testing Roy's interest in her. Most men wouldn't want a girlfriend who had automail after all.

"I was in an accident a few years back," said Edna, pulling down her long sock to reveal everything from the knee down on her left leg was automail. "Ironically enough, it makes dancing easier since my metal leg doesn't tire out as easily as my flesh one. So long as I keep them covered with thick socks, no one is any the wiser to the truth."

"Must be expensive," he commented. Edna felt relief when she didn't see any disgust in his eyes seeing her metal leg. More like polite interest.

"My sister in all but blood happens to be an automail mechanic. She uses me as her test subject for new ideas and I get a discount for it," said Edna.

Since Roy didn't seem to care overly much about her leg, Edna allowed him to pull her in to cuddle with. It was oddly relaxing.

"How about after the fight with Fullmetal, I take you out to eat?" he suggested.

"That sounds like fun. If you manage to survive the fight intact, I'll introduce you to my brother," said Edna. Roy brightened up at that.

After all, it was a rather important step being introduced to family members.

* * *

_A few days later..._

"Ed!" said Winry, hugging her little sister tightly.

"Hi Winry."

"So what's this I hear about _you_ having a _boyfriend_?" said Winry wickedly.

"He's not my boyfriend," said Edna automatically.

"He takes you out to eat, you two geek out over alchemy, and he hasn't run from the fact you have automail," said Alphonse. "That and you openly mentioned you went to his house yesterday. I think it's safe to say you're dating Colonel Mustang."

"Fine, I'm planning to tell him he's been dating his subordinate once the assessment is over. Happy?" snarked Ed.

"If he didn't freak out over the automail, I doubt he'll have any issue with the fact he got your gender wrong," said Alphonse.

"Can we just get my leg adjusted? Having a limp is really annoying, even if it means I've grown a bit more," complained Edna.

"Fortunately for you I brought a prototype leg for that big fight I heard about, and an extra leg if you somehow manage to break that."

"Try not to completely drain my paycheck for your insane shopping spree in exchange, alright?" said Edna, half-joking.

"I make no promises, depending on how you treat the experimental leg," she countered.

Edna silently weeped for her soon to be emptied wallet.


	8. Chapter 8

Roy was rather anticipatory, despite having narrowly lost the fight with Fullmetal. He hadn't thought he was that rusty in combat.

Then again he never expected Edward to suddenly change up his fighting style to something so...graceful...right when he thought he had the other alchemist on the ropes. It was almost like Ed was literally _dancing_ on the battlefield.

With any luck Hughes or Riza failed to sneak Edna in, so she wouldn't know he had lost.

Seeing Edna waiting for him outside the barracks in a new outfit that showed off her still-developing feminine figure, Roy perked up. A relaxing date sounded like the perfect way to unwind after today.

Once the general small talk was over with, Roy sat down with a sigh on his couch with a bottle of water.

"Rough day?"

"Fullmetal was a lot harder to fight than I thought he would be," said Roy. "But a lot more fun than I was expecting."

"So who won?"

"Age and experience trumped youth and pride once again," said Roy immediately, hoping she hadn't caught the fight.

A sly smirk that filled him with unexplained dread crossed Edna's face.

"Funny, last I check _I_ was the one who beat _you_, not the other way around Colonel," she commented.

Roy almost sat up in shock.

"What?"

Edna pulled something out of her purse...and Roy almost fainted from disbelief.

It was a State Alchemist's watch. Seeing her pull her hair into a loose ponytail made shifted her features just enough that Roy was already kicking himself for missing the obvious for so long.

"Fullmetal?"

"For the record, my real name is Edna Elric, not _Edward_," she said, eyes laughing.

Roy felt rather faint. He had been dating Fullmetal this entire time.

"Who else knows?"

"Hughes, his wife and Riza. I figured it would be easier to become a State Alchemist if I hid my gender, since I had never heard of any female ones. And since I didn't start developing in any noticeable ways until after I passed the exam, no one was any the wiser until Alphonse forcibly dragged me to Hawkeye for help," said Edna slightly embarassed.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" asked Roy.

"I wasn't expecting you to start _flirting_ with me during my rare off times when I dressed like an actual girl. I thought you would have caught on after the first few times we ran into each other during the daylight hours, but when I realized you had no idea it was me I decided to see how it played out. To be fair, the last thing I wanted was for someone to get it in their head that I had slept my way into the State Alchemist position."

Roy winced. If people knew Fullmetal...no, Edna...was a girl they would have started insinuating that she had slept with someone to get the position of State Alchemist. Very few women ever developed an inclination towards alchemy, let alone bothered to try for the position of State Alchemist.

Hiding her gender was only common sense, honestly.

"Why tell me now? And why did you say you were a dancer?"

"You didn't freak out over my leg," said Edna honestly. "And dancing is a hobby of mine, plus it helps us to gather intel in areas that are less than friendly towards the military or State Alchemists. Alphonse plays the violin and I dance to the music to earn a bit of extra cash. As a matter of fact the first time you started flirting with me I had just come back from trying to find a place to dance for a few hours."

Roy was still in shock he had been dating Edna...but he was also happy that she trusted him enough to tell him the truth.

"So what do you want to do now? Can you handle dating someone who is your subordinate?" asked Edna lightly.

Roy got up and walked toward her. He could see the worry in her eyes that he might reject her now that he knew the truth.

Which was why he kissed her instead, on the lips. Feeling her relax under his hand made him deepen the kiss, as he held the back of her neck with his right hand and braced with his left.

"I am not going to throw away several months of the most fun I've had in a while just because you were hiding your gender," said Roy firmly.

"Just so we're clear, I would prefer to keep _this_ to after-hours. The less we give people to gossip about, the happier I'll be, at least until someone busts the fact I'm a girl wide open."

Roy chuckled. That was a restriction he could live with, since it allowed them to maintain a professional one at work. And it meant they could focus on their jobs when it counted, rather than their relationship.

He pulled Edna to the couch onto his lap, where they spent the better part of an hour making out and cuddling respectively. It was incredibly relaxing since her identity had been exposed and accepted.

"We are not telling Hughes or Alphonse about us," said Edna firmly.

"Agreed," said Roy with a dark chuckle. "They can stew for a bit before we throw them a bone."

* * *

If there was one thing faster than light, it was gossip and rumors.

Namely the fact that Colonel Mustang had an official girlfriend. And unlike his other dates, this one looked serious.

Havoc was already quietly cursing the Colonel's luck when his girlfriend showed up at the office wearing the visitor's pass.

She was _gorgeous_.

Mid-length blond hair like sunlight, lightly tanned skin, a developing figure that was already enough to kill for, eyes like molten gold, and the grace of a dancer. She was almost eye level with Mustang's nose, and comfortably chatted with the others in Mustang's office without any signs of disgust or fear because they were part of the military. If anything, she seemed to draw _them_ into conversations.

The agreed consensus after meeting the Colonel's new girlfriend was that he was one lucky bastard. She became even more pretty when the Colonel came out of the office, and she smiled at him.

Lt. Hawkeye stared at her for several seconds, likely in shock, before a slight smile appeared on her face.

Havoc suddenly recalled who the Colonel was dating.

"Isn't she your cousin?" he asked Hawkeye.

Riza nodded in acknowledgement.

"Try not to keep him out too late, Edna," she said calmly.

"He's not getting lucky for a least another month," said Edna.

"Not even a little?" joked Mustang.

Edna gave him a flat look.

The age of consent in Amestris was sixteen, and Edna was still just shy of her sixteenth birthday. She would not risk Mustang's chances to become Führer by having people find out he was sleeping with an underage girl...his subordinate no less!

As they left the office, with Mustang's arm around her waist, Breda whistled.

"Damn, the Colonel is a lucky man. Does she have a sister?"

"A younger brother," said Riza.

"How did they even meet anyway?"

"He stumbled across her and struck up a conversation from what I was told. Once he realized that she knew a bit about alchemy, they hit it off from there," said Riza.

Riza only felt a little exasperated as the men plied her for information about Edna. If they knew the girl in question was the same blond alchemist they generally called "Boss", she was sure they would faint from shock.

Especially considering the fact that most of them were of the opinion that Edna was drop dead gorgeous and that the Colonel was a lucky bastard for having found her first.

Edna's decision to hide her gender was looking to be a smarter move than ever before, if her appearance while dressing nice attracted _this_ much attention.

* * *

_With Roy and Edna..._

"Think any of them will figure it out?" she asked smirking.

"If _I_ couldn't tell it was you, then I highly doubt any of them will," snorted Roy. "That being said you look exceptionally pretty today."

"I did a bit more than usual, at Winry's insistence since she never saw me dress up as a girl. She was openly pouting for hours when she saw the difference," laughed Edna.

Winry was a cute girl, but Edna was on a whole other level as they had discovered. Winry despaired a little at realizing Edna was absolutely drop dead gorgeous when she bothered to dress up and put on a bit of make-up. Even with the thick socks covering her legs, it was almost impossible to tell the difference between Edna and the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"I heard the Armstrongs were planning to have a ball in their mansion, and I happened to get an invite."

"A ball? What for?"

Roy coughed a bit.

"Officially it's to celebrate his birthday."

"And unofficially?" asked Edna grinning.

"He really wants to meet the relative newcomer that managed to beat me in a straight up alchemy fight," admitted Roy. "That and apparently the girlfriend rumor has already reached Central."

Edna snickered.

"Can he keep a secret?"

"If I explain it to him, I'm sure he'll understand why you hid your gender. Besides, his older sister is a State Alchemist and you would likely benefit from meeting her."

The Ice Queen would probably enjoy meeting Edna, if only to have an intelligent conversation with another female who happened to understand the burden of being a State Alchemist. Having the approval of that woman would only benefit Edna in the long term.

"So when is this ball?"

"In about a week or two from now," said Roy.

"What's the dress code?"

"The Armstrong family is fairly wealthy, so it's going to be rather classy. Fortunately they aren't very stuck up, so a few minor errors will be ignored concerning manners. After all, you weren't raised in nobility," said Roy. He took out the invitation. "According to this they're going to go with a fire theme, likely Louis' idea of being funny."

"So anything that would match my preferred coloring, just without the black. I can handle that."

"I would suggest trying to find an outfit in Central. The shops here wouldn't have anything quite as fancy or elegant as the ones there."

"Does it have to be from Amestris, or can I surprise everyone with something a bit more exotic?"

"How exotic?"

"You do recall Al and I spent a couple years in Xing, right?" she said amused. "I generally prefer not to show off too much skin, so it should pass inspection to a high class event like this."

Roy relaxed. While Edna might show off a bit of her shoulder, she had never once dressed in anything he might class as "slutty" or "trying too hard". Far from it, she preferred clothing that emphasised her figure without having to show off too much skin.

Besides, he wanted to see how well Edna could dance since she mentioned her hobby to him.

"What about Alphonse?"

"I'm sure the Hughes could use a babysitter for the night. After all, he was invited too."

Edna smiled at that.

Alphonse was rather happy to sit the ball out. He might be the more social of the two, but he would have felt like a third wheel since Colonel Mustang was inviting his sister out as his date. He would rather stay with Elicia and Nina than deal with that.

Edna, however, was looking for a shop she had stumbled across once that sold outfits that were either made by someone from Xing, or someone who had traveled there frequently. She beamed when she finally located it, and headed straight in. She had the sash of the Chang clan on her today, so hopefully that would earn her a few bonus points.

Don't get her wrong, the outfits in the higher class of shops in Central were pretty enough but they all felt like "more of the same" with very little deviation. Besides, Roy had already seen her in the ones she felt comfortable enough buying that were within her price range. She would be too terrified of getting something on the dress if she bought one of the higher priced ones.

However a Xing-style dress was both classy, comfortable and something most people hadn't seen before while staying within the dress code Roy mentioned. The cloth alone would attract attention, never mind the designs available.

"Welcome!"

"I'm looking for a semi-formal dress that has a fire-theme," said Edna.

The shop owner took one look at the sash she was wearing and then at her.

"...Bought or given?"

"My brother and I spent a few years in Xing. It was given to us before we returned to Amestris," she replied. She took out a kunai and expertly twirled it.

"I've suddenly developed the desire not to grossly overcharge you for subpar wares," he said calmly. "What is the price range you're looking at?"

Edna smirked.

"I plan to outclass all the other women at a semi-fancy party, since the styles here are too boring to contemplate."

A fierce grin appeared on his face.

"A challenge then. I may have a few things in stock," he replied.


	9. Chapter 9

Roy was rather patiently waiting for his date to arrive. Edna had promised he'd like the surprise she had in store, but that didn't make waiting any easier.

"I hope I didn't make you wait too long," said a familiar cheerful voice.

Roy turned...and had to stare. If Edna looked stunning when she was relaxed and in a dress with light make-up, then her appearance now could only be compared to a goddess.

Her hair was in an elaborate bun that was held up by two strange sticks. Her usual sash had been replaced by something that looked identical, but was considerably more sleak and didn't have the usual pockets. The entire outfit was a brilliant red the color of fire, with an odd bird-creature soaring upwards from the bottom towards her midsection, lined in gold.

She wore slim leggings that disguised her automail legs, and sandals that were clearly made for movement. The style emphasized her curves without revealing much skin at all, and had a distinctly different flair compared to the outfits he had seen going in. A bit of light gold mascara only brightened her eyes. She had a slim fan in her hand that when folded open revealed a tiger motif across the fan-edge.

In short she was going to be the most stunning woman in the room, and she damn well knew it.

Closer inspection revealed that the dress had a pair of slits going up to just past her knees that gave her full mobility.

Roy stared at her stunned, before his ingrained manners as a gentleman kicked in. At least he wouldn't have to worry about Edna stepping on his feet.

The party was far and above anything she had been to before. The colors were stunning and the dance floor almost looked like it was on fire with all the red and gold.

However once the first impression was over, Edna started to look a bit more critically over the color choices of the dancers and the wallflowers.

"What do you think?"

"I think some of these people really shouldn't wear red as it makes them look like they've become lobsters," said Edna bluntly. "And I feel sorry for at least three men on the floor with their partners, because I can see the women stomping on their feet instead of dancing properly."

Roy had noticed those people, and had to bite back a laugh.

"Actually I think their wives are stomping on their feet deliberately for a different reason," he said smirking. He wrapped his arm rather possessively around her waist, making it clear she was _his_ date.

"Roy! There you are! Who's your date this time?" asked Hughes. Gracia was dressed up in a rather elegant gown that at least complimented her natural coloring.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Roy, secretly enjoying the shock Hughes was about to get.

"If you've dumped Edna I am never going to let you live it down," said Hughes in a low tone.

"As touching as that is, if I had found out he was dating someone else then your wrath would have been the _least_ of his worries," said Edna in a drawl.

Hughes' reaction to hearing Edna's voice was _priceless._ Roy wished he had a camera for the moment. Oh wait, there were photographers here already and one of them just aimed at their direction after he caught a glimpse of Edna. Roy mentally made a note to track that man down for copies.

The ball was rather fun this time around, and Roy had the _best_ time introducing his girlfriend to gobsmacked superiors. And their less than amused wives who were unhappy that said husbands kept giving Edna second glances and mentally comparing the two.

(Hughes was one of the few who didn't get slapped for looking, because he made it very clear to his wife that he only had eyes for her.)

And then Roy took her out to the dance floor and _everyone_ suddenly couldn't take their eyes off the two, because it's clear that Edna is a superior dancer to the paltry attempts to the rest of the crowd. Upon seeing Alex and his sister, Roy skillfully manuevers them away from the floor.

"That was fun!" she said happily. It was rare she got to do anything like the waltz, especially with a partner that knew what they were doing without stepping on her feet.

Then she noticed who Roy was taking her to meet.

"You certainly seem to have found an amazing woman!" said Alex grinning.

"Does this mean you're finally settling down?" asked the Ice Queen.

"That's still up in the air," said Roy tactfully. Though if things kept progressing the way they have, he was definitely going to invest in a ring soon. "Though I definitely wanted to introduce her you two."

Especially Olivia. Edna honestly had no idea there were women State Alchemists, and Olivia Armstrong was considered the strongest one out of the few there were. Definitely a good role model for Edna to work with.

Edna tapped on his wrist in military code that the area was secure enough to talk. Roy didn't know what she did, but he definitely felt _something_ discreetly hanging around the air.

"So what's your dates name?" asked Olivia, slightly on edge because she clearly felt it as well.

"Edna Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," said Edna politely.

Dead silence as that particular title sank in.

"I was under the impression Fullmetal was a boy," said Alex.

"Yeah, well I had no idea that there were women in the State Alchemists. I honestly thought it was a boy's only club, and I really didn't want to deal with people making open insinuations that I slept my way into earning my license," countered Edna irritably. "I get enough grief because of my height and the fact that I'm a lot younger than anyone thought when they see the watch."

Something in Olivia's gaze softened slightly as she stared at Edna. Understanding filled her features as to why Fullmetal would deliberately hide her gender from public knowledge.

She remembered all too well the headaches and irritation she felt as one of the rare female State Alchemists, and how several people thought she had either slept her way into her position or bought her way with her family's money. Or worse, that the higher ups had given her a rank to make the women in the military feel better or to keep her out of trouble on the battlefield.

In hindsight, it made perfect sense why Fullmetal would keep her gender quiet...especially if she thought the State Alchemist program only allowed men.

"What about the younger one?" asked Alex.

"Alphonse is my younger brother," said Edna. "Of course this fool didn't even _recognize_ me the first time he saw me dressed up as a girl on a night out and started flirting with me. Once I realized he honestly had no idea who I was, I drew it out as long as it remained funny."

Roy grimaced at the reminder. On the plus side, he at least knew his girlfriend was strong enough to handle herself even if someone tried to kidnap her for ransom against him. After all, who would expect the petite dancer to actually be a State Alchemist who was perfectly capable of bringing the house down on you? Literally, at that?

Olivia's mouth twitched upward at that.

"And when did you break the news to him?"

"When he tried to claim that _he_ won the mock-battle. I was more than happy to remind him that he lost to a teenager with less experience in a real battle," said Edna gleefully.

It was official...Olivia already adored Edna for that comment alone.

_A few hours later..._

Since Edna's cover was that she was a professional dancer, and several women were more than a little irate that their husbands keep looking at Roy's date, she decided to show off one of the dances she had learned in Xing.

Good thing she had prepared for it...then again she didn't want to embarrass Roy with her usual street dancing that she did at taverns using Al as her accompaniment.

She couldn't recall what the name of the dance was at the moment, just that it was fire-themed and usually performed at celebrations. It had taken her _ages_ to learn how to do it solo, though she had never performed it out of practice yet.

Edna discreetly took out the scarf...while it wasn't really necessary, it definitely added an effect if you knew what you were doing.

Besides, she was going to cheat slightly with magic so she didn't trip over it.

Fortunately some of the people playing instruments recognized the dance she was referring to, or at least got the general gist of the tempo required for it. Once everyone realized there was going to be a special performance, the dance floor cleared out.

Edna grinned...it was time to show off some of her more impressive skills that didn't involve alchemy or fighting.

* * *

_Roy POV_

He stared...there was no way he could help it, and he knew he wasn't alone. The Armstrong sibling, Hughes, and a number of people were observing the dance Edna was putting on with avid fascination and wonder.

Her official cover was that she was a professional dancer, and right now she was demonstrating that she could legitimately claim to be such. No one would suspect his date to be a State Alchemist after tonight...not unless her gender and full name came out anyway.

It was like fire on the dance floor, as the scarf she used shimmered in the light and made her look like she was ablaze with flame.

Pleasant shivers went down his spine, and they only got stronger as the dance in question called to the firebug in him. He was the _Flame_ alchemist, after all.

Then came the finale, and he knew there was no way he was letting this particular dance go unanswered. Edna twirled on her left foot (and suddenly the comment of having an automail leg made dancing easier made perfect sense) and seemed to _blow_ on the scarf, which created the effect of her _breathing fire_ in a perfect circle around her, before the scarf mysteriously disappeared from where it had come from.

Complete silence descended upon the room, before a loud applause was heard.

And if Roy was extra possessive once she returned to his side, tired but in a very good mood for having successfully performed a very difficult dance sequence...well, he would be hard pressed to find a single man who would blame him for it.

* * *

Alphonse was more than a little concerned when he didn't see Edna after the dance. Or until noon the day after. Hughes, however, seemed to have a pretty good idea what happened though.

"Wait...did you say Edna performed a dance that almost felt like fire with a red scarf?" said Alphonse, having a bad feeling already.

"Yeah. It had a pretty big effect on Roy from what I could tell, and a number of men in the party."

Alphonse groaned.

"She didn't do the mock fire-breathing trick with the scarf, did she?"

"Yeah, actually. Wait, you know that dance?"

"It's roughly translated as the _Embrace of the Blooded Flame_, and it's a rather difficult dance in Xing. It's not really used much except in certain celebrations and it's meant to inspire the sense of fire...especially in hot blooded people. I'm not surprised Colonel Mustang was effected by it...he likely got hit with the brunt of it."

Hughes was already grinning.

"Oh really now?"

Alphonse face palmed. He had the feeling Edna forgot the _other_ reason why that dance wasn't often performed outside of how complicated it was.

"For those who are 'fire-aligned', it has the side effect of inspiring strong passion and even lust, especially when there's a couple involved. Which is the reason why those who know of the dance only really _use_ it during holidays or celebrations that are aimed at couples or nudging people towards courting," said Alphonse. He looked exasperated. "I bet Edna forgot that tidbit and used it because of the theme of the ball."

"That would be a safe bet. And from the way Roy was behaving after the fact, Edna will likely be unwilling to leave bed for a day at least," said Hughes.

She was only a month and a half shy of sixteen, and they had been dating for a year anyway. Add in the effect of the dance and Hughes had the feeling Roy wouldn't wait for her birthday. At least he knew his old friend was _careful_. In spite of how many women he had dated, there had yet to be a single confirmed report of him getting his girlfriends pregnant.

That plus Roy had become increasingly aware of how many supporters Edna had both in the military and the civilian side.

Seeing the rather impressive hickey on her neck and the fact she was walking a little stiffly Hughes snickered...even as his lovely wife dragged Edna off for some girl-talk.

_With Gracia and Edna..._

"So? How was it?" asked Gracia indulgently.

Edna blushed a little.

"It took me a few seconds to realize what he had planned...but I wasn't complaining. That dance really gets the blood pumping," said Edna. "I knew he wouldn't hurt me, and by the time things really got heated up I could barely think straight. He kept calling me his princess though."

Gracia beamed.

"How lovely! It's so nice when a man shows how much he appreciates his girlfriend or wife," said Gracia.

Edna nodded, before snickering.

"He also said that he called in sick, claiming he drank too much last night and since he was my superior officer I didn't have to worry about being reprimanded for taking the day off," said Edna amused.

Gracia chuckled at that.

"So how was it?"

"Hard to say, considering I've never done anything like that before...but it felt amazing and I can see why adults seem to lose their minds for it," said Edna after a moment.

"Just remember to wear protection. The last thing you need is to become pregnant before you're at least twenty and have established a semi-permanent residence or have a firm long-term relationship with someone willing to help you raise a child."

Edna made a face at that.

"I do want kids, but definitely not right now. Twenty sounds like a reasonable restriction for that and I'm betting Roy would agree since if he hasn't earned a promotion to Central by that time I will happily kick his ass."

A promotion to Central meant buying an actual _house_ and establishing firm roots. Besides, she had no idea if this relationship was going to last that long.

It was rare for one that involved a superior and his subordinate to work out without a lot of grief involved. And that was _before_ accusations of favoritism were thrown about.

Fortunately Edna wasn't a career military woman, and her particular branch of State Alchemist was vastly underdeveloped compared to the others. Never mind the fact that she and Alphonse were the only _active_ Investigative Alchemists, which meant that they got first pick of any possible investigations regarding alchemy and were more of a cooperating branch of the Investigative department Hughes ran.

It was rather hard to claim favoritism when they were literally the only ones wandering around Amestris checking in on possible illegal alchemy research and doing the small jobs like checking the Youswell mine usually delegated to rookies or people who had annoyed the higher ups for some reason.


	10. Chapter 10

Hohenhiem was at the bar, getting something to drink when he heard an interesting rumor from one of the men who worked at the station.

"You'll never guess who was on the train!" said the station manager, gushing.

"Who?"

"You know those two siblings who do performances? The ones with the golden hair?"

"You can't mean that the Golden Siblings are in town!" said the innkeeper excitedly.

Any inn that saw the Golden Siblings always saw an upswing in revenue for as long as they were in town. The girl was a skilled dancer and her brother was a very good violinist who knew most of the popular folk songs from the region.

No one was sure why the two traveled so much, but they tipped well and they were always polite to the locals. It was also said that the older sibling was an extremely beautiful girl with a fiery nature.

Hohenhiem had heard many rumors regarding the two, however there was one thing that caught his attention.

Specifically the fact that both siblings had golden eyes.

Such a thing was extremely rare and indicated an ancestry that lead all the way back to Xerxes. Naturally he was very curious to meet the two and find out if they were descendants of those that survived the catastrophe.

Such people were rare, but he could always tell if they were or not within a few minutes.

Much to the innkeeper's delight, the Golden Siblings came to _his_ establishment.

The younger sibling asked for a room, as his sister was still sleepy from the train but promised a show for dinner at least. He wore a cap that concealed most of his hair and face, but they were given one of the best rooms at the inn within moments.

In retrospect, Hohenhiem should have known _exactly_ who the sibings were considering rumors always spoke of an older sister and younger brother with golden eyes.

So you could imagine his shock when he realized that the girl dancing for the packed inn...was his own daughter Edna.

What was _she_ doing here? More importantly, why was she a dancer?!

For a split second during her break, her eyes met his.

Even from across the room he could see shock...and complete utter feminine fury...the _second_ she recognized him, or suspected it was him.

Edna glared at him with the promise of violence and barely withheld rage in her eyes. She definitely remembered him. Alphonse looked more confused and a little worried than anything.

"I should have known that just when things were _finally_ going my way, _you_ would show up in our lives again," growled Edna. "You have exactly one chance to explain why you left like you did, before I cut you out of our lives entirely."

Alphonse, however, was more focused on something else that Edna had either yet to notice or was being too blind at her rage towards the man.

"Why do you feel like you have several of those awful blood red stones on you?" he asked confused.

Hohenhiem went stiff, and Edna looked him very suspiciously now.

She yanked him into the room, took out one of the few kunai without any markings on it, and alchemically sealed the door with a clap. From the outside, it would appear as though there was no room at all as the wall outside looked like just a wall.

Hohenheim looked at Edna with no small amount of horror and dismay, as he knew exactly what would give her the ability to use alchemy without drawning any circles or having it imprinted on something.

Alphonse saw his look and frowned, before he did the same to the window, though he mostly merged the wood so that it wouldn't open.

As an extra security measure, Edna cast a privacy spell on the entire room.

"You two have been to the Gate," he said defeated. "How long?"

"I was eleven, Alphonse was ten. Shortly after you left, mom got real sick and died within a year and a half. We studied under an alchemist by the name of Izumi Curtis, and once our initial training was over we tried to bring her back," said Edna curtly. "We were only informed _after _the fact that it was doomed to fail from the start...even if we had created something living, it would have been a clone, not the real thing. At best we would have created a younger sister that looked like mom because we also added our blood into the mix."

Hohenheim had a very pained expression on his face.

"If not for Angel, I would have been lost to the gate entirely. If she hadn't paid the toll when Edna went back for me..." said Alphonse quietly.

"Angel?" repeated Hohenhiem.

"A young woman was caught in the gate, trapped between returning to the living and continuing on to the afterlife. Somehow our experiment drew her out, and when I went to get Alphonse she asked Truth if it was possible for her to pay the toll instead of me. In exchange for the personal memories of her life and the ability to go back, Alphonse was allowed to come out of the gate and given back his body. However as a side effect, her soul was bound to mine. She generally sleeps most of the time."

"Edna..."

"She's more like an older sister who actually gives useful advice. Besides, she was the first person to tell us that it wasn't Mom," said Edna, cutting him off.

Hohenhiem decided to change the subject.

"Why are you a dancer of all things?" he complained.

Edna snorted.

"Our act as the Golden Siblings is just our cover," said Edna.

Seeing the pocket watches of the State Alchemists, Hohenheim felt his heart stop. Any chance of telling them to turn it in died when he saw the stubborn look in Edna's eyes. If he tried to protect her from the real nature of the program, he was more likely to drive her further into the claws of the monsters hiding in the shadows, and Alphonse would follow her lead without hesitation.

"So...you are the Fullmetal Alchemist and the Knight Alchemist," said Hohenheim tiredly. "How has no one caught on to your identity yet?"

"We're investigative alchemists. We look into any reports of possible illegal alchemy research or so called miracles, on top of doing inspections that are usually delegated to rookies. As a result we do a lot of traveling since very few people are aware it's an option and work closely with the Investigative division," said Alphonse.

"Researching isn't that appealing and neither of us are inclined to follow military law more than we have to. It's a compromise even the higher ups can live with, since it means they don't have to waste older, more experienced alchemists walking around the country instead of doing paperwork, and it keeps the civilians from raising too much of a fuss about our age," said Edna. "No one ever expects the pretty dancer or her violinist brother to be State Alchemists able to arrest them for causing trouble with alchemy."

Alphonse snickered.

"That's rich, considering you kept stringing your boyfriend along for a full year before telling him your alter ego."

"In my defense, I'm still amazed Mustang didn't realize who I was in the first place," snarked Edna.

"What."

Hohenhiem felt the protective fury of father's everywhere as he took in the fact his _daughter_ was dating someone already. More than that, she openly claimed it was Mustang.

There was only _one_ man he knew by that name, and he was at least seven years older than Edna. More to the point he was a notorious flirt and playboy.

"Before you try to play the 'concerned parent' role, I would like to remind you that you gave up that chance when you walked out on us ten years ago. You have exactly one chance to explain why before we drop you completely as a parent," said Edna flatly.

Hohenheim had a tired look on his face.

Any thought of keeping them in the dark of the full truth died seeing the look in Edna's eyes. It wasn't the loss of any relationship he had with his children that worried him. It was the chance that they would inadvertantly be drawn into the array he was trying to stop.

So he explained as much as he could. Finding out Edna had discovered a philosipher's stone in the ground and had _kept_ it was very disconcerting...but at least he could take solace in the fact they were more interested in safely freeing the souls within rather than use it for their own ends.

Edna was still pretty pissed at him for leaving...but considering some of the rumors she had heard about the military and the fact that he was able to trace the array that he was trying to stop, she was willing to believe him.

It didn't hurt his case that Angel backed his claims by stating he wasn't lying. The bit about him being a living philosipher's stone was shocking as it made him effectively immortal, but the fact they could sense it in him made it easier to take.

Besides, a lot about the Ishvalan Extermination Campaign didn't make any sense.

Hohenhiem tried to change the subject, a little relieved Edna had at least accepted his reason for leaving even if she wasn't happy about it.

"What's this about you having a boyfriend?" he asked dangerously.

Edna rolled her eyes.

"Roy didn't recognize me when I was out having a bit of fun, and when I realized I could mess with him I kept quiet about my identity until I realized he genuinely cares about me. The fact he didn't make a big deal about my automail leg helped. Besides, I have a rather extensive list of people willing and able to make his life a living hell if he does anything to hurt me, up to and including the rather twisted things Angel was more than happy to share with me when the subject came up," said Edna flatly. "We've both agreed that if our relationship progresses much further, that we'll wait until I'm at _least_ twenty before the idea of children becomes an option."

"Accidents happen," said Hohenhiem.

"Accidents happen, but that's what contraceptive spells and birth control are for. Both of us have too much to do in the near future for us to risk a pregnancy," said Edna. "A few minutes to take precautions won't kill us."

Hohenhiem had to despair a little, that his daughter had become so mature in the blink of an eye and he wasn't there to watch it happen.

* * *

"What happened to you?" asked Edna.

"...Is there any particular reason you failed to mention your father was still alive?" asked Roy, twitching.

"Oh, him. We ran into him two weeks ago and I gave him a black eye," said Edna dismissively. "He lost the right to be involved in my personal life the day he left us and never returned."

While she accepted his reasoning why as valid enough not to cut him out of her life completely (and the evidence he provided with the map), she was still pretty damn pissed about it.

In the words of Angel, who found the situation endlessly amusing, she was a woman. She could hold a grudge forever if she so chose.

It would take some monumental sucking up for Edna to forgive her father, and even then she would never forget his actions.

"So was what he said about the array true?"

"If it isn't, then I will make his life a living hell if he attempts to get involved with mine."

Roy said nothing, but he was fiddling with an item in his pocket.

After the confrontation he had with Hohenheim (who agreed with his reasoning, fortunately) he realized he really didn't want to give Edna up to anyone.

Which was why he slipped something onto her right wrist.

"What's this?"

Roy felt rather nervous.

"Well considering your fighting style, a ring would be rather difficult to keep without wearing it like a necklace, now wouldn't it?" he said.

It took Edna several moments to process that comment. There was only one ring a girl would keep on without even considering taking off.

"Are...Are you asking me to marry you?" she said faintly.

"You are the only girl who I don't have to talk down to regarding alchemy or deflect the question when it comes to work. And you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met, especially when you feel like dressing up instead of burying your nose in a book."

Edna was in shock.

She seriously thought the idea of marry Roy over...and found it rather hard to come up with a reason not to.

She had never really experienced romance before, but considering the hell she went through because of her mistake, it would be hard to find anyone who could empathize with what she went through. After all, Alphonse was at least spared the sight of the monster they created. There was also the fact that most men would pretend they didn't care about her automail, but in reality it was a major turn off...unless you lived in Rush Valley anyway.

Roy had never pressured her or treated her any differently once he discovered she was a woman, and had taken things slow until she accidentally sparked their more physical relationship. Even when she was being incredibly prickly at the beginning, he hadn't given up on her.

Besides, he was also an alchemist and thus could keep up with her thought processes.

That was why, spurred by Angel in her head, she kissed him on the lips and said "Yes."

* * *

_With Alphonse, the next morning..._

"It's about time! You two are almost perfect for each other, so we knew it would happen eventually," said Alphonse.

"We?" she repeated dangerously.

"Me, the Hughes, Winry, Granny..." listed Alphonse. Edna twitched in annoyance. "On an unrelated note I won the betting pool."

"I hate you all," she fumed.

"So what did he give you?"

Edna held up her wrist.

"Right now an actual ring would be _highly_ impractical, never mind the fact that most wouldn't take it seriously considering the minor age difference," said Edna.

Hence why Mustang went and bought a bracelet instead. Edna wasn't a particular fan of rings because they got in the way of her alchemy and fighting style, but earrings and the rest were acceptable. She could handle a bracelet in lieu of the traditional engagement ring.

(She still hadn't taken off the earrings he had given her on her birthday, which were small and discreet enough to be hidden by her hair.)

"So when are you going to announce it?"

"Shortly after I turn seventeen. Despite how long we've been dating, no one would take it seriously if they knew he asked me to marry him, especially considering the age difference. I don't want to harm his chances of becoming Führer," said Edna.

Alphonse winced at the reminder. It had been something of a whirlwind romance, but then again Mustang had been kept in the dark for the better part of a year to begin with. Another year of waiting for making the official announcement was perfectly reasonable, and it gave them a chance to properly plan the wedding discreetly with those in the know.

"On the plus side, Hughes can finally get off Roy's ass about getting married," said Edna.

Alphonse snickered at that. Maes had despaired of his friend ever settling down, and it was finally happening.


	11. Chapter 11

**Someone made a comment about how 'creepy' it was that Roy was dating Edna. **

**Hate to burst your bubble, but in this fic Edna is 16 to Roy's 25. The age difference isn't _that_ bad.**

* * *

"So let me get this straight...there was some suspicious activity in the abandoned lab and they want _us_ to check it out?" said Edna.

"You two are the only official Investigative Alchemists that have the knowledge and security clearance to investigate Lab Five," said Grand flatly. "Your reports were detailed enough that the Führer felt it acceptable for you two to find out if someone is using lab five and to insure the research contained hasn't been compromised."

To be fair, the only reason they were even _given_ such high security clearance is because they had already proven adept at finding things that would cause a lot of trouble later on. Several terrorist groups had been broken up before major harm could be done due to their off-the-clock efforts. After all, no one suspected a simple dancing girl or her musician brother to be State Alchemists.

It wouldn't be the first time a man said too much around a pretty girl all too happy to keep buying him and his friends drinks, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Any complaints Roy might have had about _that_ were cut off rather brutally by the fact he often used his 'dates', who were really call girls under the employ of his aunt, as informants.

Edna looked deeply suspicious.

"Exactly where did this information come from, if I may ask?"

Grand didn't look irritable at the question. Far from it... being an investigator naturally meant questioning the source of the tip, since there were plenty of people who wouldn't hesitate to hurt or capture a State Alchemist. Especially someone as young as the Elrics.

The better the credibility of the source, the likelier that the information was genuine.

"Ironically enough, the information comes from the utility companies."

"Excuse me?"

"Lab five was officially shut down four years ago due to budget cuts. However in the past five weeks, there has been a larger than normal amount of water and electricity used within the premises. The only ones stationed there are the guards outside, and they aren't cleared to enter the confines of the lab," explained Grand.

"That means someone must have snuck in and is using the water and electricity," said Alphonse.

No wonder the military was becoming suspicious. An abandoned lab suddenly using up more power and water when there was supposed to be no one inside? That pretty much screamed someone had to have snuck in recently, and with the sort of research the military conducted using alchemy it could only lead to trouble if the right files were found.

Which meant someone who knew what they were doing and could be trusted to keep their mouths shut had to go in and find out what was going on.

And the only ones who were 'qualified' to do that were the Elrics.

"You know I'm more surprised others haven't tried to sign up as Investigators," said Edna.

Grand's mustache twitched slightly.

"Actually thanks to you two, more there _have_ been a number of people who specifically signed up as Investigative Alchemists. Not enough to create a proper division, but enough that you two are the only ones with 'seniority'. There's even been some talk about giving you both promotions to avoid any of the newer recruits from getting ideas above their station."

The military liked to keep things orderly, so the fact there had been an upswing in people becoming Investigative Alchemists meant they had to have someone who could reign in the rookies before they made a mess of things. Someone who could be trusted to teach the new guys the ropes, even if they wouldn't be under the direct command of the Investigator in question.

Basically, the military wanted to upgrade the Elrics to 'Detectives' so that the new Investigative Alchemists could act as general cops until they had more experience in the role. It wouldn't give them any real authority over the older alchemists, but it would create a recognizeable chain of command which was all the military cared about.

And if things turned out for the better, there was a chance an official branch of the Investigation department could be made, with one of the Elrics as the commander.

As for their relationship with General Grand, it was rather simple. The man was in charge of the labs in Central, so it was only natural that he have a 'friendly' or at least 'professional' attitude towards the two that made his own life easier by cutting down his workload to a more manageable level. Inspecting the labs took hours, and that wasn't counting the reports and having the alchemists in question clarify something he sometimes would have to look up later.

The Elrics were competent enough and bright enough to get it, often without clarification, and they knew how to write reports in a short, comprehensible manner which meant he had less to read and sign off on.

Edna thought it over.

"We're going to need documents informing the gate guards we have a right to enter. I really don't want to deal with some annoying idiot who thinks our age is a reason to give us a hard time," said Edna.

There was always _some_ idiot who thought their watches were fake, right up until they were told by their superior officer to shut the hell up and follow orders...even if they were from someone several years younger than them.

Grand didn't even hesitate to write an order and put his personal seal on it. He was also familiar with young idiots too stupid to recognize a genuine State Alchemist's watch. Unlike the Elrics, however, most were smart enough to see the stars on his shoulders or recognize the aura of authority he held and kept their mouth's shut.

* * *

_Later that afternoon_

Edna had a bad feeling about this, so the two decided to take their special focus rings. She had the feeling she was going to need the special wild card that was magic.

She would be right. Not only were there "guard dogs" as Angel flippantly called them, but almost immediately upon entering the building she knew _something_ was terribly wrong.

The suit of armor that nearly took her head off was pretty surprised when she treated them as a human, despite being a pair of spirits attached to armor.

She did so for one reason and one reason only. If Angel hadn't come into her life, then there was an almost certain chance Alphonse would have suffered the same fate and it would have slowly killed her inside to make her brother go through that. Seeing that armor made it hit way too close to home and she refused to treat the two brothers as anything less than human.

A fact that amused said spirits greatly, considering most would have called them monsters and not thought twice about it.

_An hour later..._

Alphonse was not having a good night. Not only was he stuck dealing with a sociopath who he only vaguely recognized from before, but not soon after he had been captured by creatures that reminded him of his dad...just in the worst possible way.

It was highly possible he was dealing with Homunculi.

Seeing his sister standing there in front of the tanks filled with red water, Alphonse felt a chill go down his spine. Whatever these creatures wanted with his sister, it would not end well for anyone involved. Least of all the prisoners.

He all too clearly remembered what Hohenhiem told them about the stones they found and what they were made of.

Why did they want Edna to make one of those horrid things?

Edna stood before the tanks filled with red water, fully aware that if she didn't go along with what they wanted there was a high possiblity they might kill Alphonse. Or at least maim him, considering he was an important sacrifice according to their dad.

She didn't see it, but she certainly _heard_ the hidden crack in the tank widen and then split apart enough to start spraying red water everywhere.

A deluge of the tainted water hit her hard enough to send her skidding back into the hallway. The taint was enough to knock her out cold.

The last thing Edna heard before blacking out completely was Angel's outraged roar.

Alphonse was terrified for his sister...right up until he felt _it._

The Homunculi didn't know what that massive wave of power was, but Alphonse recognized it immediately.

It was magic. More importantly it was _Angel's_ magic and she was pissed.

The pretty female who had her claws a little too close to his eyes for Alphonse's comfort turned to her much larger companion.

"Gluttony, go check on the little alchemist to see if he's still alive. And don't eat him!" said the woman.

"Aw, but I'm hungry Lust!"

"Do it!" said Lust.

Gluttony, in a bit of speed that was contrary to how large he was, went through the doors as ordered.

Not two seconds later, there was a scream of agony. Lust looked irritable, and thought Gluttony had taken a bite out of the blond brat.

She did not expect _Gluttony_ to be thrown through the doors and into the mostly empty tank of red water. The shards of glass became embedded in his skin and his blood mingled with that of the remaining liquid in the tank.

Alphonse had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be Edna that walked through those doors next. He would be right.

The woman who walked through the doors (and it was a mostly adult young woman) looked to be about two or three years older than Edna, which put her close to eighteen or nineteen. Though she was still doused in red water, Alphonse suspected that her hair was naturally red since the shade was wrong. Her eyes were just as sharp and intelligent as Edna's, except they were the most vivid shade of green he had ever seen and would have trouble accurately describing the color correctly when asked by Edna later. Her bust was at least a size or two higher than his sister as well, though to be fair Edna was far too active to build up the necessary fat stores to have a larger chest.

She had to be at least seven to nine inches taller than Edna, which made sense because Edna was still overdue another growth spurt.

The most noticeable thing was the fact that there was a gash on her left leg just below the knee. Alphonse could see quite clearly the woman did _not_ have Edna's automail.

If it wasn't for the fact he vaguely recognized Angel's magical signature, Alphonse wouldn't have known who she was at all.

The red haired woman glared at Lust.

"Step any closer and the brat gets it," said Lust. This was no idle threat, and they all knew it.

"Alphonse," said Angel, her accent odd but strangely cultured in a way Edna would have a hard time replicating on her best day. "Why are you playing the victim?"

As if that was the signal he had been waiting for, Alphonse discreetly opened up his right hand and formed his fist into the rough shape of a gun.

One of the tricks Edna and Alphonse had come up with in the event they couldn't overtly cast spells was a 'magic bullet'. Basically they were freely manipulating their magic to act as a bullet so long as they had the mental image right.

"Bang," said Alphonse.

Lust didn't see it coming, and the odd word the younger alchemist used wasn't enough warning to dodge. She was blasted into the ceiling, which gave Al enough time to scurry over to Angel's side.

Angel looked positively predatory.

"You're about to learn why it's a bad idea to mess with what's mine, abomination," she purred darkly.

_Outside the lab..._

Roy had a bad feeling, so he lead a small team to check on Edna and Alphonse after Grand finally told him where he had sent the two.

At the very least Edna should have let him know she would be late coming home.

It always sent a strange thrill in Edna's mind, being able to call Roy's house her home. Just as it was strange for him to come back and know there was a high chance of having someone actually waiting for him that he could stand.

Alphonse, mostly so he didn't have to contemplate his sister's sex life, generally opted for the dorms or with the Hughes whenever they were in town.

So you could imagine his shock and alarm when the wall next to him _exploded_.

Major Armstrong and Mustang's team carefully peeked through the new hole...and stared. Mostly because Alphonse looked like absolute hell and Edna looked like she had passed out.

There were two _things_ in the room that looked like someone had delivered one _hell_ of a beat down, and they weren't moving. Roy absently noted the large number of terrified prisoners from the building next door at the other end of the room giving Edna wary looks.

Alphonse looked relieved to see the team there. He promptly passed out.

* * *

_In General Grand's office_

"What. Happened."

It was clear the Iron Blood Alchemist was beyond pissed. He had sent the most effective team he had on his payroll on a simple investigation and somehow Fullmetal and his brother had stumbled across illegal research and two abominations that made chimeras look like a joke!

Whatever they were, they were definitely dead and his researchers were having a major field day trying to figure out what the hell they were made out of.

"We don't know. I had a bad feeling so I took Major Armstrong with me to check on the siblings along with my team, and somehow the wall exploded. When we got there, Alphonse was barely awake and Fullmetal was passed out in his lap. The prisoner's reaction to Fullmetal leads me to believe they are responsible for those things being dead," reported Mustang. He was not happy...Edna's alchemy was going to be shot for at least a week and Alphonse would need just as long to recover from this disaster.

Grand looked angry and tired. The report on cleaning up Lab 5 alone was going to be a nightmare, and they still needed to wait for Fullmetal and Knight to wake up and explain what the hell happened.

He particularly didn't like the fact that by all appearances, Fullmetal had somehow gotten doused by that red water. That substance was a menace when it was contained...being hit with that much would only cause a rather nasty reaction in any alchemist much less one as talented as the blond. That he survived the encounter was a miracle in itself.


End file.
